SJVN Limited announced that it has awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for its 1 GW solar project in Bikaner, Rajasthan, to Tata Power Solar Systems.

The project will be developed at an estimated cost of ₹54.91 billion (~$72.21 million), making it India’s biggest solar EPC contract. The project is scheduled to be completed in 24 months from the issuance of the EPC contract, i.e., May 2024.

The project is expected to generate 2,454.55 million units (MU) in the first year, and on a cumulative basis, approximately 56,838.32 MUs will be generated in 25 years. The project is also expected to reduce 2.78 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 25 years.

The scope of work includes end-to-end delivery of the commissioned solar power project to SJVN, including an arrangement of land through outright purchase, a power evacuation system up to the interstate transmission system (ISTS) substation, and operation and maintenance of the solar project for three years.

SJVN had won the capacity after emerging as one of the winners in the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency’s (IREDA) auction for 5 GW of grid-connected solar projects (Tranche-III) under the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Program (Phase-II). SJVN won a capacity of 1,000 MW quoting ₹4.472 million (~$58,803)/MW as viability gap funding.

This project will assist SJVN in achieving its renewable energy vision of 5 GW by 2023, 25 GW by 2030, and 50 GW by 2040. The project will simultaneously contribute toward the renewable energy capacity addition target of 500 GW by 2030 set by the Government of India.

According to Mercom’s new report, India Solar Market Leaderboard 2022, Tata Power Solar led the list of rooftop solar installers, accounting for 20% of the total installations. It also has provided EPC services for about 2.8 GW of solar projects as of December 2021.

Tata Power Solar had previously announced the commissioning of its 160 MW solar project at Jetstar, Rajasthan. Over 6,75,000 monocrystalline modules were used in this installation to produce 387 million units (Mus) of energy per year. The Jetstar project was completed within 15 months. The project’s scope included engineering, design, supply, construction, erection, testing, operation, maintenance, and commissioning.