Proposal for 41.5 GW Hybrid Renewable Park in Kutch Approved

The Gujarat cabinet has cleared the proposal for the 41.5 GW renewable park in Kutch district by approving the allotment of 60,000 hectares of land for the mega project.

The Gujarat cabinet on September 9, 2020, has cleared the long-pending proposal of the 41,500 MW or 41.5 GW renewable energy (solar and wind) park in Kutch district by approving a proposal of the revenue department to allot 60,000 hectares of land in the district for the mega project.

 Combined with the 7.5GW Leh-Kargil project which is also going though the approval process, that’s almost 50 GW  of super sized solar projects that will probably keep the solar pipeline going well beyond 2022. The hybrid energy park project is one of the select projects of national importance that the PM reviews at his monthly PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) system. Over the past two years, the PMO has sent several reminders to the state government to expedite land allotment for the project. The Gujarat project is off course far more easy to execute on paper, owing to much more easier access to land, to transmission infrastructure, and importantly, a high demand centre in the industrialised state.

The hybrid renewable energy park is projected to attract the investment of around Rs 1.35 lakh crore. The PM had given a deadline of 2022 for the completion of the project.

A high-powered committee of officials had earlier approved the land allocation plans for five major companies and forwarded the draft allocation plan to the state cabinet for approval. Firms getting land allocation include  SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India), NTPC, GIPCL, GSEC, Adani Power and Suzlon, which are expected to get land for their 23000 MW, 5000 MW, 2500 MW, 3500 MW, 3500 MW and 4000 MW solar and wind power generation projects respectively.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the state government of Gujarat working in collaboration with the Central Government, has decided to expedite the process of land acquisition for renewable energy projects – as both the government’s looked to fast track the ambitious Kutch Hybrid Energy Park project.