TIRUCHY: The city corporation has announced a Rs 115-crore solar power project for Panjappur, aimed at promoting green energy and supporting upcoming infrastructure developments there.
The project, included in the 2025-26 corporation budget, is in the planning stages, with the details yet to be finalised. Senior officials confirmed that the project will involve the installation of solar panels on both rooftops of new buildings as well as vacant space in corporation land at Panjappur.
While the new solar initiative is carried out, the existing 2.4 MW ground-mounted solar plant in Panjappur will remain operational, with no immediate plans to alter it, an official said. "The 19.20 MW solar project will feature a mix of rooftop- and ground-mounted panels. Some panels will be installed on the roof of the integrated bus terminus, as well as other structures like the TIDEL park coming up in Panjappur.
The remaining solar panels will be placed on vacant land owned by the corporation in Panjappur. The engineering team is seeking expert opinions to finalise the plan," a senior corporation engineer said. The corporation currently has around 575 acres in Panjappur, with about 40 acres allocated to the integrated bus terminus.
Other projects like the wholesale market, bus depot, and truck terminal will take up additional land. Excluding these projects, approximately 300 acres of vacant corporation land remain available, and officials are still evaluating how much of this land will be used for the ground-mounted solar panels. "We aim to boost green energy usage through this large-scale solar project.
As more projects come up on vacant plots in Panjappur, some ground-mounted solar panels can be relocated to rooftops as the area develops. We are considering all such possibilities before finalising the plan,"said an assistant commissioner of the corporation. Residents said the project will reduce the corporation's power costs.
PK Perumal, a retired TNEB engineer and Srirangam resident, said, "I never imagined a `115-crore solar project would be introduced in Panjappur. They should consider similar projects in other areas as well. A large-scale solar plant at the Ariyamangalam dumping yard can be considered once the biomining works are completed."