Assam Gets Its First Utility Scale Solar Plant

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a 25 MW solar power project in Lalpul at Udalguri district. Built at a cost of Rs 300 crore, the plant will benefit 65,000 villagers. The project was established on ‘build, own, operate’ model under Assam Solar Energy Policy 2017.

Addressing the villagers and the guests on the occasion, Sarma reiterated the commitment of his government to generation of power through non-conventional energy sources instead of conventional sources. Of all the problems in the world, climate change is the gravest, Chief Minister Sarma said, while adding that his government has found a balance between development and its nature. Therefore, the generation of renewable sources of energy in Assam would serve to reinforce the sustainability for the rest of the world to follow and emulate, he added.

The next five years will be witness to Assam become one of the leading states in the country to use renewable sources of energy without adversely affecting the environment, he said. On June 11, Assam approved an investment worth Rs 5,000 crore for commissioning and the generation of 1,000 MW of solar power in collaboration with Navratna PSU company Neyveli Lignite Corporation, under the aegis of the Union Coal Ministry.

Addressing the media afterwards, Himanta Biswa Sarma had said the purpose is to make the state energy independent and self reliant. “A joint venture company with Neyveli Lignite Corporation will be floated to generate the 1000 MW solar power on government land. This will be the first such initiative among PSUs in the energy sector. A 75 MW solar plant at Amguri was recently inaugurated, and a few other units with a total capacity of 100 MW in different parts of the state will be commissioned next month. But we want to go for large-scale solar power generation,” he added during the occasion.

He further shared that more than a thousand proposals for settlement of land, pending with the revenue department, for more than a few decades, had been cleared by the cabinet. “Some of these proposals were pending since 1992 and nearly 30 per cent of burden on the revenue department is settled. In the next cabinet meeting, we will take up the pending proposals submitted by NGOs,” he said.