Tata group to set up solar plant worth Rs 3,000 crore in Tamil Nadu: Report

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Tata Power Solar, the solar arm of the Tata group is planning to invest Rs 3,000 crore in setting up a four giga watt integrated solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, reported The Times of India.

The group is reportedly in the final stages of consolidating the deal with the Tamil Nadu government to set up the solar plant in Gangaikondan – a step that is expected to help the state increase its solar power capacity in the coming ten years.

The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has a target of generating around 25 GW of renewable energy by the year 2030. This will include a 20 GW solar project, a 3 GW hydroelectric project, and 2 GW of gas-based energy units.

A top government source said: “The investment would be around Rs 3,000 crore and the project may offer employment to 2,000 local people, predominantly women.”

Notably, Tamil Nadu already houses the Vikram solar plant, which inaugurated its 1.2 GW factory earlier this year in Oragadam. United States-based First Solar has also performed the groundbreaking ceremony at its greenfield plant near Chennai.

Tata Power, on the other hand, had in January 2021 bagged an order worth Rs 1,200 crore from state-run power giant NTPC for setting up of 320 MW ground mounted solar project.

The order value of the project is approximately Rs 1,200 crore ($162 million). The commercial operation date for this project is set for May 2022.