NTPC and two Andhra Pradesh power utilities signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) on Friday for the first phase (250 MW) of the country’s maiden 1,000 MW Ultra Mega Solar Power Project being set at NP Kunta, Anantapur district in the State.
Addressing a press conference after the PPAs were signed between NTPC and APEPDCL, Director (Commercial) NTPC, I.J. Kapoor said the first phase of 250 MW would be commissioned in a year.
EPC contract would be awarded soon for indigenous modules for the first phase. He said power would be purchased by the Discoms at a fixed rate of Rs.6.16 paise and the PPAs would be valid for 25 years.
NTPC already has installed capacity of 110 MW of solar energy and was committed to establish 10,000 MW in the coming years.
He said 3,000 MW solar energy would be added this year and about 1,500 MW was under tendering process. By 2032, NTPC plans to have a total installed capacity of 1, 28,000 MW and targets to have 28 per cent of that from non-fossil sources.
With presence in thermal (coal, gas), solar and hydro, NTPC currently has an installed capacity of 44,598 MW.
Ajay Jain, Secretary (Energy), AP government, said it was planned to add 1,000 MW through wind energy and 600 MW of solar energy in the State this year. Currently, the installed capacity of solar energy was 128 MW and that of wind energy was 1016 MW in AP.
The second Solar Energy Park of another 1,000 MW would come up in Kurnool district.
He said the State government planned to have an installed capacity of 5,000 MW of solar energy and 4,000 MW of wind energy in the next four years.
Vijayanand, CMD, APTRANSCO, said the PPAs would be submitted to the appropriate commissions for approval. He said 1250 acres of land for the phase of the Ultra Mega solar Power project has already been handed over to NTPC.
