We have already mentioned quite a few times that states like Gujarat and Rajasthan have been eyed by various solar developers and manufacturers from India and across the globe. The latest firm to eye the region for setting up solar plant is Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL).
According to reports, BHEL will join hands with Hindustan Salts Lts (HSL) to install a 2,500 MW solar power project that will be covered across 15,000 acre of land in Rajasthan.
The plant, once completed, will become one of Asia’s largest solar power plant, which is no mean feat. The process to study the viability of the plant will be undertaken in the coming months.
The proposal is being handled under the supervision of Ministry of Heavy Industries which is also looking to utilise around 23,000 acres of land in Gujarat for harnessing solar power in the region.
It is said that a 5 MW PV crystalline silicon plant requires close to 25 acres of land and HSL apparently has a total of around 57,000 acres land in Rajasthan, which is more than enough to meet the projected target.
“Of the 20,000 acres, we can give 15,000 acres for the installation of a solar plant, as we need the rest for our core business. Once the project is implemented, preliminary estimates show that we will have a capacity of 2,500 MW and this will be the largest in Asia,” R K Tandon, chairman and managing director, Hindustan Salts, was quoted as saying in the report.