HYDERABAD: In what is claimed to be the first of its kind initiative in the country, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SSCL) is building a solar power plant at a height of 120 metres above the ground on the dump of an overburdened (OB) opencast (OC)-I coal mine in the Ramagundam-III area.
As per the officials, the aim of the project is to shift the dependency on green renewable energy and cut down on power expenses it pays to Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (NPDCL).
Started in June 2022, the 22 megawatt project being executed on 100-acre land is expected to be completed by July 2024.
“It’s a government drive to meet the needs of the public as it’s not possible with a thermal plant,” P Elisha, assistant general manager (AGM), RG-III area, told TNIE. The AGM added that while the SSCL usually carries afforestation drives atop the OCs to curb pollution as well as effective utilisation of land, this is the first time it has taken up the installation of a solar plant.
To develop the facility, the SCCL is spending Rs 5 crore to generate one MW of solar power.
“Once the project is completed, we will hand it over to the development company for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) for Rs 15 crore for a period of three years. This is because every year the panels will reduce their production as they have a limited life ,” Elisha said.
At the ground site a few kilometres away, the SCCL has already developed a 50 MG solar plant on 250 acres of land. This plan started functioning in 2019. The collieries currently pays Rs 240 crore to the Discom per annum. The company is expecting to save around Rs 100 crore once the under-construction facility also starts functioning.
“Of the eight lakh units consumed per day, we generate 2.40 lakh units from the 50 MW plant and expect to do 1.35 lakh from the 22 MW. Through the ground-mode plant, we have saved around `65 crore in FY 2023-24. When the 22 MW plant becomes operational, we are expecting to save around Rs 35 crore annually,” explained the AGM.