The Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to set up solar power plants on 1700-hectare land along the Bundelkhand Expressway as part of its ongoing efforts to promote the use of solar energy.
Under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the government aims to develop it as the state’s first solar expressway to generate 550 MW of solar power. It is worth noting that several prominent companies were interested in participating in this project.
However, the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), a state government body, is presently busy giving shape to this project and executing it.
With this solar plant, the state government looks forward to illuminating one lakh houses along the expressway every day. The estimated lifespan of this project is 25 years, with a reimbursement period set at 10 to 12 years. The Due Diligence Study linked to the project has been completed, in addition to the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage, which concluded in August 2023.
As per the state government, eight leading solar power developers gave presentations in October before government authorities on the project. These companies include Tusco Ltd, Torrent Power Ltd, Atria Brindavan Power Ltd, 3R Management Ltd, Avaada Energy Ltd, Somaya Solar Solutions Pvt Ltd, Erisha E Mobility, and Mahapreit.
The Bundelkhand Expressway offers an excellent opportunity for the development of solar power plants. The primary reason to build this expressway is the easy availability of land in this region. It has clear weather and receives an average annual rainfall of approximately 800-900 mm.
This 296-kilometer-long Bundelkhand Expressway with four lanes is divided into two parts: the main carriageway and a service lane. In the space between these two, a strip of land around 15 to 20 metres wide is currently vacant throughout the expressway. Now, the government plans to cover this area with solar panels, which are used to separate agricultural land and install fencing. With this, the entire expressway will be a first step towards becoming an expressway equipped with solar energy.
The development of the Bundelkhand Expressway as a solar expressway will bring substantial benefits to UPEIDA. The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority also has the potential to earn revenue of Rs 4 crore through lease rent. However, the sale of the produced energy could result in a profit of Rs 50 crore annually.
It is to be noted that installing solar plants on the Bundelkhand, Agra-Lucknow, Purvanchal, and Gorakhpur Expressways could bring a benefit of six crore annually to UPEIDA in terms of energy consumption.
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