Avaada To Develop 6 GW Hybrid Wind-Solar Projects In Gujarat

Avaada To Develop 6 GW Hybrid Wind-Solar Projects In Gujarat. Photo by-Freepik

Avaada Group recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government. Per the agreement, the cleantech company aims to set up hybrid wind-solar projects with an aggregate 6000 MW (6 GW) capacity in the coastal state. It has also planned an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore.

The agreement between Avaada and the state government was signed in the august presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and others sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024 at Gandhinagar.

The hybrid projects of Avaada, located in various districts of Gujarat, predominantly in the underdeveloped wastelands of Kutch, will supply power to various utilities of India, including GUVNL, and for captive use of Avaada’s Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Projects.

With an estimated annual generation of 17.5 billion units of green electricity, this will reduce approximately 16.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, contributing significantly to India’s green energy supply and powering nearly 12.6 million households, Avaada said. Moreover, it will generate ~1200 direct and indirect jobs, thereby contributing to local and regional economic development.

Vineet Mittal, Chairperson of Avaada Group, said, “Due to the pressing need to tackle climate change, governments, private sector as well as individuals globally are increasingly focusing on sustainable solutions to promote economic growth and well-being for everyone. Renewable energy and green hydrogen and its derivatives have emerged as powerful substitutes for fossil fuels, driving rapid decarbonization across various industries and regions.  Besides the signing of the new 6 GW capacity in the state, the firm already has projects of ~2 GW capacity that are operational or at various stages of implementation in Gujarat.

Announcement spree at Vibrant Gujarat 

Nevertheless, during the recently-held Vibrant Gujarat Summit, myriad MoUs were signed, and announcements were made in the renewable sector by India’s green power behemoths and others. For example, Engineering committed to investing around Rs 2,000 crore to set up an EV manufacturing plant in Gujarat. This was in addition to Gensol’s almost-ready EV plant in Pune.

On the other hand, among the biggest announcements, Adani Group announced an investment of around Rs 2 trillion in clean energy projects in Gujarat. This includes its solar module manufacturing plant, wind turbine manufacturing plant, and hydrogen electrolyzers manufacturing plant in the state. Adani Group is also constructing the world’s largest green energy park in Rann of Kutch.

This also followed an announcement by Maruti Suzuki to invest Rs 35,000 crore in the western state for its second automobile manufacturing plant. Reliance Industries also has announced investing heavily in its manufacturing plants for solar modules, wind turbines, and others in the state with its proposed mega Gigafactory at Jamnagar.

Tata Group has also announced its new mega plant to produce semiconductors and Lithium-ion batteries in the state.