Norway headquartered state owned energy company Statkraft has grid connected its 1st large scale solar power plant in India with 76 MW DC/55 MW AC capacity in the state of Tamil Nadu under a Group Captive Model.
Under this model, Statkraft said it would supply electricity generated to the end users under long term power purchase agreements (PPA) while the latter also own 26% of the plant. The Nellai Solar Park will generate 124 GWh of solar power annually.
"Nellai will help industries in the state of Tamil Nadu meet their renewable energy requirements at an affordable price. We aim to become a key developer and operator of hydro, wind and solar assets, spreading our investments across different technologies and business models," said Statkraft's Country Manager India, Rahul Varshney.
The Nellai Solar Park in Ettanakulam village in Manur taluk of Tirunelveli district is equipped with 140,000 solar modules. Statkraft used the services of Belectric Photovoltaic India Private Limited to construct the plant – and the German headquartered group will also provide operation and maintenance services (O&M).
In India, Statkraft is also exploring green hydrogen and ammonia production in collaboration with Aker Horizons, targeting hard-to-abate industries as steel (see Aker Horizons & Statkraft Partner For Green Hydrogen).