The Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) has issued a tender for allotment of 860 MW (20 MW x 43 Taluks) grid-connected solar projects in 43 selected taluks in Karnataka. The last date for bid submission is January 08, 2018.

The minimum capacity is 3 MW and the maximum capacity is 20 MW per taluk. A total capacity of 200 MW in 10 taluks is reserved for module manufacturers in Karnataka.

In January 2017, Mercom reported the Government of Karnataka’s amendments to the Karnataka State Solar Policy 2014-21. The targeted capacity has been increased to 6 GW by March 2022 from the previous target of 4 GW. The solar power generation in the state will be limited to 200 MW per taluk with the exception of rooftop solar, to avoid grid congestion.

Earlier KREDL had allocated 1,200 MW of solar projects across 60 taluks with a ceiling of 20 MW per taluk under phase-V of State Policy, reserving 100 MW for domestic module manufacturers.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Karnataka has close to ~2 GW of large-scale solar installations as of November 2017, and has the largest project pipeline in the country of around 2.3 GW.

Mercom previously reported that KREDL has retendered 200 MW solar projects to be developed at Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka.

Mercom recently visited the Pavagada Solar Park, to understand the reasons behind project commission delays and challenges of park development.

Image credit: Mercom India