SECI to set up Odisha’s first floating solar power project at Hirakud Dam
A survey for the pilot project has already been completed. Construction will begin soon for the 40MW plant to be built in the first phase.
Odisha will soon be hosting its first floating power plant following the successful commissioning of India’s largest floating solar PV plant at NTPC Simhadri in Andhra Pradesh.
The Hirakud Dam Reservoir in Sambalpur district of Odisha will be home to a solar power plant with a capacity to generate 40 megawatts (MW) of power, according to an official. A multi-purpose dam, Hirakud Dam, inaugurated in 1956 was primarily built with a purpose to control floods, irrigate land, as well as produce electricity through hydro-power station.
To be set up by the Solar Energy Corporation of India, under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, it will generate 40 MW of power during its first phase. As the survey for the pilot project has already been conducted, construction work is expected to get underway soon.
It has been planned that the solar panels, which will last for 25 years, will be installed such that they are not shifted when water levels in the dam increase or decrease.
A cost of about INR 200 crore is expected to be incurred for the plant’s installation, according to Ananda Chandra Sahu, chief engineer of the Upper Mahanadi basin. This project will not require land acquisition and only 1 sq km will be needed in the reservoir.
Sahu claims that evaporation losses from the dam exceed the amount of water used for industrial purposes. By installing solar panels, the evaporation loss can be minimized.
This project, in addition to providing green energy, will also meet a portion of the state’s electric needs. It is planned to also set up a sub-station at Kantapali in Bargarh district to procure the power generated from this project. The Grid Corporation of Odisha (GRIDCO) will purchase the electricity generated from this project.
Solar energy development is being encouraged by the Government of Odisha, and the Odisha Renewable Energy Policy, 2016 set a target of 2,200 MW of extra solar production by 2022, including those generated through roof-top solar and other non-land-based projects.
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