The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC Limited), a government-run entity, has received the go-ahead signal from State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) for 260 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed in Bihar.

When contacted, an NHPC official told Mercom, “We are planning to develop 260 MW of solar PV. There will be a 250 MW project in Gaya district and another up to 10 MW project in Khagaria district of Bihar.”

When asked about the timeline of the project implementation, the NHPC official said, “Right now, we have just received the initial nod from SIPB. This is the beginning stage and we cannot comment on the timeline of these projects. As of now, there are many processes and formalities to be done. The outlook of Bihar state government is very positive in this regard, we can say that within the next two months development will begin as the dice starts rolling.”

The NHPC official further informed that once the due diligence is complete, they will give the contract of the project to an engineering procurement construction (EPC) firm through reverse bidding.

An official at Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) also commented on the news saying, “We are aware of the development. It will be the largest solar project in Bihar once developed”.

When developed, this will be NHPC’s second large-scale grid-connected solar PV project.

In March 2018, NHPC commissioned a 50 MW solar project in Theni and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu. Larsen & Toubro had won the contract to develop the 50 MW grid-connected solar project in Tamil Nadu in June 2017.