NTPC-Ramagundam has chosen to phase in the commissioning of the country's largest floating solar power plant, with a capacity of 100 megawatts, at its thermal power project, starting with a 15 megawatt section by the end of the month.

According to NTPC officials, they intend to commission at least 10 to 15 MW segments per month starting now. The country's largest power producer is building a 100 MW solar plant on the waters of a reservoir built to suit the needs of a thermal power project at a cost of Rs 423 crore. The project's solar panels are projected to cover 450 acres of water storage space.


Sunil Kumar, Chief General Manager of NTPC Ramagundam and Telangana thermal power projects, stated that the commissioning of the floating solar project would have been completed by now if not for the delay caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.

“The COVID-19 limits have had an impact on both material supply and human deployment. As a result, instead of commissioning the project in one go, as planned originally, we've opted to commission it in phases,” Mr. Sunil Kumar said, adding that commissioning of 10 to 15 MW segments will be done every month from now on.

NTPC wants to build the world's largest floating solar power plant as part of its 60 gigawatts (GW) renewable energy capacity by 2032. By 2032, the corporation wants to cut its net energy intensity by 10% and lower its overall energy generation and supply costs.

(Source: The Hindu)

(Image Credits: By National Renewable Energy Lab on Flickr)