Tender soon for State’s biggest floating solar project in West Kallada, Kollam

Coming up on 360 acres, the largest floating solar project in the State is expected to contribute to the development of the panchayat

Mundakanpadam in West Kallada, Kollam, is also a local tourist attraction | Photo Credit: SURESHKUMAR C

The tender process for the floating solar project at West Kallada Mundakapadam will start after Onam.

Coming up on 360 acres of land, the largest floating solar project in the State is expected to contribute to the development of the panchayat. Regarding the rates, the decision is to reduce the tariff as much as possible and to use the government’s gap fund for the purchase electricity.

A meeting of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB)officials will be held to finalise this. The NHPC and Tata Power Solar, which has undertaken the construction of the ₹300-crore project to generate 50 MW, had signed a contract regarding this.

Electricity will be produced by placing floats over the water in Mundakapadam and affixing solar panels on them. In the total 360 acres, 260 acres belongs to farmers while rest is panchayat land. The land was leased to the NHPC for a period of 25 years by West Kallada Non-Conventional Energy Promoters Pvt Ltd comprising farmers. The company directors include representative of the farmers, District Collector and panchayat president. The production cost of one unit of electricity is around ₹7. West Kallada Non-Conventional Energy Promoters and the panchayat will get 15 paise per unit as profit. “It’s a dream project for the residents and it will expedite the progress of the panchayat,” said president C. Unnikrishnan here on Tuesday.