The State Technical Committee (STC) has approved the proposal of the Green Energy Development Corporation Limited (GEDCOL) for establishment of a solar power park at Manamunda Industrial Estate in Boudh district.
The first meeting of the STC held recently discussed the technical details of the project which proposed to generate about 50 MW of solar power with an investment of ` 400 crore.
The detailed project report is under preparation by WAPCOs, a Government of India undertaking providing consultancy services in power and infrastructure, sources in the Energy Department said.The committee also approved GEDCOL proposal of bidding for 20 MW solar power under viability gap funding (VGF) scheme of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched VGF model for the second phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
SECI has invited tenders for allocation of 750 MW solar power projects under phase-II of JNNSM. Developers will have to specify the funds that they would be seeking, and on the basis of lowest bids, the winners will be selected.
The Centre is offering about `1875 crore in grants and will be providing subsidy to the tune of 30 per cent of the project cost so that projects meet milestones.
According to revised rules of MNRE, a total of 350 MW of projects will be built with the domestic content requirement (DCR) scheme. At the time of bidding, the project will have to opt for DCS or open categories and separate bids have to be submitted for both the cases.
Those opting for DCR will have to source domestically manufactured solar cells and panels for their projects. It is believed that the tariff offered for the DCR projects may be slightly higher than open projects.
Under the viability gap funding scheme, 50 per cent of the amount will be paid on successful commissioning of the projects, and the remaining amount is to be disbursed in 10 percent increments over a period of five years, if generation targets are met.
The STC also discussed the 105-MW solar power project proposal of Nilapuspa Energy Pvt Ltd ((NEPL) and 5-MW project proposal of Keshari Urja Private Limited (KUPL). The committee asked both the developers to submit their proposals afresh as they lacked clarity.