Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL) has commissioned a 100 MW grid-connected solar project at the Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka. The project was developed in two, 50 MW blocks and covers a 533-acre area.

The National Thermal Power Corporation has a power purchase agreement in place to secure power from the project for 25 years at a tariff of ₹4.79(~$0.07)/kWh. Tata Power won the project in May 2016 under the National Solar Mission Phase-II, Batch-II, Tranche-I State Specific Bundling Scheme.

“The commissioning of the 100 MW solar project in Karnataka fortifies our position as the largest renewable energy company in the country, with a strong presence in solar power generation. We prefer development opportunities in solar parks as land and evacuation are provided, and we can focus on the project,” said Rahul Shah, chief executive officer of TPREL.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, the commissioning of this 100 MW project brings TPREL’s installed solar capacity to 1,172 MW, and its solar project pipeline now stands at 173 MW.

The project was ready for commissioning sooner but it had to wait for grid synchronization to be completed, according to an official with the Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited (KSPDCL). The official said grid-synchronization is being performed in the Pavagada Solar Park at a rate of about 10 MW per day.

When asked about other projects under development at the park, the KSPDCL official said 400 MW of solar projects are expected to be synchronized to the grid by the end of December. “This is 200 MW more than the expected capacity to be synchronized in that timeframe,” he said. The official added that ReNew Power has begun grid synchronization of 50 MW and Adani Green Energy subsidiary Parampujya Solar Energy will also be done soon with another 50 MW.

Mercom also reported earlier this month that Finnish energy company Fortum had commissioned 100 MW of solar photovoltaic projects at the park.

Image credit: Tata Power Solar