Indian state Uttarakhand launches solar tender for 170MW despite ‘limited potent

[jingwei3344]

The Indian state of Uttarakhand has invited bids for 170MW of grid-connected solar power capacity, despite having abundant hydro power and expensive land prices.

Acquiring suitable land has been cited as a challenge for solar deployment across India especially in states with expensive land.

Bridge to India consultant Mudit Jain said that Uttarakhand already has abundant hydro power resources, while also having "very expensive" land, and he questioned the need for solar capacity in the state.

India's Central Government is currently developing green energy corridors to transport power from states with abundant renewable resources such as Rajasthan and Gujarat to major centres of energy use such as Delhi and Maharashtra.

When asked about the potential to add Uttarakhand to this green energy corridor network, Jain said: "It doesn't make sense to extend the green corridor to Uttarakhand as it has limited solar potential as compared to other states."

On 17 September, the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) invited bids for projects at a minimum capacity of 100kW and a maximum of 50MW, under 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the state utility Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL).

The tendering comes under the 'Uttarakhand Solar Power Policy-2013' and the deadline for bidding is 12 October this year.