Union Government of India Finalised Setting up World’s Largest Solar Power Project in Rajasthan

The Union Government of India on 20 September 2013 finalised setting up of the Ultra- Mega Green Solar Power Project in Rajasthan in the SSL (Sambhar Salts Limited; which is a subsidiary of Hindustan Salts Limited - a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises) area close to Sambhar Lake, about 75 kms from Jaipur. The overall capacity of this project would be 4000 MW, thereby making it the largest solar power project of the world.

About the Sambhar Ultra -Mega Green Solar Power Project

• Praful Patel, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, had earlier asked the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) to initiate the process of setting up the Sambhar Ultra -Mega Green Solar Power Project in the 23000 acre area of SSL.
• The first phase of the project, which will be of 1000 MW capacity, is likely to be commissioned in three years i.e. by the end of 2016.
• The first phase of the project will be implemented through a joint venture (JV) company to be formed with equity from BHEL, Solar Energy Corporation of India, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., SJVN, SSL and REIL.
• The rest of the capacity of this project will be implemented through a variety of models.
• After complete commissioning of the 4000 MW of project, there will be a generation of 6000 million units of power per annum.
• The project will supply power to the distribution companies of various States through the National Grid.
• Being the first project of this scale anywhere in the world this project is expected to set a trend for large scale solar power development in the world.