Tata Power announced on Friday that it has teamed up with Tata Steel to build grid-connected solar projects in Jharkhand and Odisha totaling 41 megawatts (MW)
Tata Power and Steel, the Tata Group’s two flagship firms, have teamed up to build grid-connected solar projects in Jharkhand and Odisha. The two companies have agreed to a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to build a 41-megawatt solar project that will include rooftop, floating, and ground-mounted solar panels. Tata Power will develop photovoltaic (PV) capacity for Tata Steel in Jamshedpur (21.97MWp) and Kalinganagar as part of the project (19.22MWp).
The company would develop rooftop PV with a capacity of 7.57 MWp in Jamshedpur under the PPA, while floating and ground mounted capacity will be 10.80 MWp and 3.6MWp, respectively. The ground-mounted PV will be deployed at Jamshedpur’s Sonari Airport. Kalinganagar will feature rooftop PV capacities of 9.12 MWp and floating PV capacities of 10.10 MWp. For the first year, the 41.19MWp solar plant is expected to generate 6, 02, 80,095 kWh. The total energy generated over the course of its lifetime (25 years) would be 1,40,93,61,488 kWh. According to a press release, the project will save 45210 tonnes of CO2 every year and 1057021 tonnes over its lifetime (25 years).
The two companies announced plans to build a 15MW solar plant in Jamshedpur in March 2021. This project would generate 32 MUs of energy per year on average. It will help offset about 25.8 million Kgs of CO2 per year on average. Tata Power Solar had previously installed a 3MW solar PV power plant at Tata Steel’s Noamundi Iron Ore Mine in 2017. This was the country’s first solar power facility of its kind in an iron ore mine. “In recent years, electricity generation from solar and non-conventional energy sources has gained momentum across our operating areas,” stated T V Narendran, CEO and MD of Tata Steel. We’ll keep looking for clean energy options and expanding our renewable energy footprint.”