CleanMax Solar, a leading rooftop solar developer, has initiated the process for setting up 150 MW of solar group captive projects to supply power to corporates in the state of Haryana.

Recently, the state amended its guidelines for megawatt-scale ground-mounted and rooftop solar PV projects meant for captive consumption, making it an attractive destination for the developers. According to these guidelines, CleanMax Solar’s group captive solar PV projects will be exempted from cross subsidy surcharge and additional surcharge, with the added benefit of lifetime banking.

The company has received its approval from the Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) and also an in-principle feasibility approval from the state transmission company, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL).

CleanMax Solar will be investing ₹6 billion (~$86.4 million) to develop the 150 MW solar PV farm in Sirsa district of Haryana on a stretch of 600 acres. This investment is in line with CleanMax Solar’s mission to strengthen its network of private solar farms across the country. The solar farm is expected to abate 185,000 tons of carbon emissions on an annual basis.

When contacted, a company executive informed that the entire capacity is expected to be commissioned by the end of March 2020. The land acquisition and process for receipt of permissions from the concerned authorities have been initiated, and project construction will begin soon. The executive further added that for these projects, all the power purchase agreements (PPAs) with corporates had not been entered yet. As the construction work progresses, both the project development and PPA signing will take place simultaneously.

The waiver of charges for captive and group captive projects has led to Haryana having a solar PV project pipeline of over 300 MW now. In May 2019, Amplus Energy Solutions had also announced that it would develop 150 MW of group captive projects to sell power to industries in Haryana.

Image credit: CleanMax Solar