Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a defence public sector undertaking (PSU), has successfully completed the construction of a 16 MW solar PV project at the Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) premises in Avadi locality of Tamil Nadu’s capital city Chennai.

The project was inaugurated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, according to a PTI report.

The solar PV project will cater to the captive consumption needs of the HVF and Engine Factory at Avadi. It is spread across 80 acres and has been built at an overall cost of ₹1.05 billion (~$0.016 billion).

Power generated from the project would be fed to the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Ltd’s (TNTC) 110 kV sub-station. This will lead to annual savings of approximately ₹45.41 million (~$0.67 million).

“Great contribution by Bharat Electronics and Ordnance Factory at Avadi,” Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted after inaugurating the plant.

With the help of  ‘Viability Gap Funding Scheme’, BEL is working for the energy security of the ordnance factory estates, by developing utility scale grid-connected solar projects.

These projects would help improve the air quality of the region by reducing sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter emission, and 26,384 tons carbon dioxide per year.

Tamil Nadu is already one of the top solar states in India with over 1.7 GW of installed solar capacity, according to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker.

Earlier, Mercom reported that BEL tendered a total of 6 MW (AC) of solar to be developed at three factories in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in July 2017.