Mizoram Welcomes Its First Solar Park With 20 MW Capacity

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Mizoram has welcomed its first solar park.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) recently inaugurated the Vankal Solar Park, a 20 MW solar park approved under the MNRE Solar Park Scheme. The ceremony saw the presence of the State’s Power & Electricity Minister, Pu R. Lalzirliana.  Other government officials also marked their presence.

The electricity that is generated from the solar park will not only aid households with their power needs, but will also help Mizoram bring down its carbon footprint.

The Power Minister highlighted the significance of the project while showering praises on the efforts undertaken by the Department and the personnel that brought the project to a conclusion.

The Vice Chairman of the Human Resources Development Board, Dr. L. Thangmawia. The dignitaries present highlighted how the project could usher benefits for the north east region, especially the State of Mizoram.

The tender for the Vankal Solar Park project was floated in December 2019.

Mizoram first solar power plant with 2 MW capacity was set up in 2020. During the inauguration of which, the State Power Minister had made a mention of the 20 MW Vankal Solar Project.

A source from the Power & Electricity Department, Mizoram, told Saur, “It is one of the largest projects in the State for renewable energy.Though the park has been inaugurated only now, it has been operational for the last one month. It is connected to the larger grid and is surely going to help the state with the population of 12 lakh people.” He was hopeful that the project will help the State and its people financially as it will help them save on electricity bills.

He further informed Saur that due to the geographical location constructing solar and hydro projects become quite expensive for the State. “The topography makes the solar and hydro projects very costly. But hydro projects are not that suitable for the state due to  the presence of very small rivers.”

When asked about the government support he said, “Constructing renewable projects in such locations is  very expensive so it will help us tremendously if the government could provide us more subsidy.”

It may be recalled that last year, the north eastern India welcomed the biggest solar power plant in Assam with a capacity of 70 MW.

The Indian government has been giving a push to development of solar parks through Ultra Mega Solar Park scheme of MNRE. A month back, the MNRE Minister R.K. Singh revealed in the Lok Sabha that eight solar parks with a cumulative of 4995 MW had been approved.