The 2,050 MW Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka is going in for an expansion with a proposed capacity addition of 3,000 MW.

As one of the first steps towards expanding the park, the Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation (KSPDCL) has invited expressions of interest to acquire lands on lease from landholders in two villages in the Tumkur district to develop two solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 3,000 MW.

In June, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar had said the government intended to expand the Pavagada Park, for which about 10,000 acres of land would be required.

The agency has sought lands to set up a 500 MW solar park within Inturayanahalli gram panchayat’s limits and a 2,500 MW solar park under Rapte gram panchayat limits.

KSPDCL has said it would require contiguous land parcels of 10,000 acres in Rapte village and 2,000 acres in Inturayanahalli village to set up the solar parks.

Landholders must give their consent in writing in the prescribed format to KSPDCL by September 15, 2023, with details of the extent of land held, documents to show ownership, and encumbrances, if any, among others.

KSPDCL would lease the lands at the rates they were leased for the existing 2,050 MW Pavagada solar park.

Then, the largest solar park in the world, the 13,000-acre Pavagada Solar Park, became operational in December 2019. It has been developed by KSPDCL, a joint venture between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Karnataka Renewable Energy (KREDL).

In 2022-23, the Pavagada Park generated over 4,503 MU of solar power, the highest since it was fully commissioned in 2019-20.

For the Pavagada park, KSPDCL was paying landowners ₹21,000 (~$254)/acre/year with a 5% escalation every two years. The area has traditionally been prone to droughts, making farming unsustainable.

In May last year, the state government announced the new ‘Karnataka Renewable Energy Policy,’ valid for 2022-2027. The policy aims to develop 10 GW of additional renewable projects, with or without energy storage systems, and 1 GW of rooftop solar installations in the next five years.