In response to increasing power demand and soaring electricity prices, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is promoting solar energy as a sustainable alternative in Uttar Pradesh.

In this direction, the state is developing several large-scale solar projects, including nine solar parks with a total capacity of 3,710 MW.

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So far, three such parks of 435 MW capacity have been commissioned and the remaining six are set to follow suit soon as the bidding process progresses. The land allocation for all nine parks has been finalized paving the way for their swift implementation.

Notably, under the guidance of the chief minister, the solar parks have been established in four cities in the Bundelkhand region (Jhansi, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot, and Jalaun), as well as in cities like Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Mirzapur, and Prayagraj. The bidding process for the solar parks under construction in Bundelkhand, Kanpur Nagar, and Kanpur Dehat is currently on.

Anupam Kumar Shukla, director of the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency, said on Saturday that the state has received significant investments specifically for the establishment of solar parks in the solar energy sector. Under this initiative, nine solar parks are being developed. Of these, solar parks with capacities of 365 MW and 65 MW, totaling 435 MW, have already been commissioned, and production has begun.

Additionally, solar parks of 600 MW capacity in Jhansi and Lalitpur, 800 MW in Chitrakoot, 1,200 MW in Jalaun, 75 MW in Kanpur Dehat, and 35 MW in Kanpur Nagar are under construction. The tendering process for these projects is ongoing.

The tender for the Jhansi solar park was issued two days ago, and those for the Lalitpur and Chitrakoot solar parks will be released by Tuesday. The tender for the Jalaun solar park will be issued within the next 15 days. Land has been allocated for all these solar parks, totaling 3,710 MW in capacity, and connectivity arrangements have also been established, he further informed.

Mr Shukla also noted that besides the 3,710 MW capacity currently under construction in these solar parks, various other projects totaling 6,900 MW are in progress across the state. Including rooftop solar plants and other solar initiatives, a total of 4,130 MW of solar projects have already been commissioned.

In addition to solar parks, the state government is focusing on installing rooftop solar panels on residential buildings, establishing solar cities, providing solar-powered electricity to agricultural farms, and promoting pump storage and bioenergy production. Uttar Pradesh ranks second in the country in the field of biomass energy production.

Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, solar energy plants are being installed on the rooftops of 25 lakh houses in the state, providing 300 units of free electricity to the people.

The state has set a target to generate 22,000 MW of electricity from solar energy. This includes the installation of 6,000 MW of solar rooftop plants on private and government buildings and the establishment of 14,000 MW of solar utility projects and solar parks. Similarly, under the PM-KUSUM Yojana, 16.17 MW of grid tube wells are being operated using solar energy.

The Solar Park Scheme was launched in December 2014 to support states in establishing solar parks at various locations across the country, to develop the necessary infrastructure for solar energy projects. A solar park is a large area of land developed with common infrastructure facilities such as transmission networks, roads, water supply, and communication networks.

Under this scheme, implemented by the Government of India for the development of solar parks and ultra-mega solar power projects, a total capacity of 39,250 MW has been approved. So far, solar projects with a capacity of 11,591 MW have been established across 22 solar parks in the country.