Tata Power and Tata Steel have joined hands to develop grid-connected solar projects in Jharkhand and Odisha.

The companies have signed a 25-year power purchase agreement to develop 41 MW solar projects, including rooftop, floating, and ground-mounted. For Tata Steel, Tata Power will construct 21.97 MW of solar capacity in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, and 19.22 MW in Kalinganagar, Odisha.

At Jamshedpur, Tata Power is expected to develop 7.57 MW of rooftop solar capacity, 10.8 MW of floating solar, and 3.6 MW of ground-mounted solar projects. The ground-mounted solar project will be installed at Sonari Airport, Jamshedpur. At Kalinganagar, Tata Power will develop 9.12 MW of rooftop solar capacity and 10.10 MW of floating solar projects.

The companies said the expected power generation from these solar projects is 60.28 GWh for the first year. The total power generation during the lifetime of these projects would be 1409.3 GWh. The projects will help reduce 45,210 tons of carbon dioxide emission annually and 10,57,021 tons during their lifetime.

In March 2021, the companies announced they would develop a 15 MW solar project at Jamshedpur. The project is expected to generate around 32 million units of power annually. In 2017, Tata Power commissioned a 3 MW solar project at Tata Steel’s iron ore mine in Noamundi, Jharkhand.

TV Narendran, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Tata Steel, said, “We have taken several steps across the value chain to reinforce our sustainability credentials. In the recent past, power generation from solar and non-conventional energy sources has gained momentum across our operating locations. We will continue with our pursuit of clean energy solutions and expand our renewable energy footprint.

Tata Power aims to develop 2 GW of solar and hybrid capacity annually to grow over 25 GW by 2030. Tata Steel invests in enabling long-term sustainable logistics and supply chain solutions and uses electric vehicles to transport finished steel.

Tata Steel Limited and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have joined hands to work toward carbon capture, utilization, and storage to combat climate change and global warming.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Tata Power has 655 MW of installed rooftop solar capacity as of Q2 2021.