Telangana to set up floating solar power projects on reservoirs; eyes 1,000 MW energy

Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu today said the government is planning to set up floating solar power projects on reservoirs to meet growing electricity demand,

The deputy chief minister, along with Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, discussed the possibilities for producing floating solar power projects on reservoirs with the higher officials of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) at the Dr. BR Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat.

The government targets 1,000 megawatts of power generation through a floating solar project.

Bhatti Vikramarka gave the relevant officials instructions to investigate the methods, compile a detailed project report (DPR), and install plants in various state reservoirs to generate 1,000 megawatts of floating solar power projects without harming the fisheries. The government is prioritizing pollution-free power generation, he clarified, and floating solar power generation is one aspect of this.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the irrigation department would contribute the required resources to promote the production of floating solar power in the state. “It is a welcome sign that the SCCL, a government organization, has come forward to produce floating solar power in the reservoirs, which will be mutually beneficial to the public and the government,” he said.

SCCL has begun to generate over 300 megawatts of solar power.

SCCL chairman and managing director N Balaram informed the ministers that, as part of the state government's aim to promote non-conventional energy sources, work has been started to generate over 300 megawatts of solar power under Singareni. So far, around 224 megawatts of solar electricity have been generated, and the remaining 76 megawatts are in progress.

During the meeting, the officials gave a PowerPoint presentation to the ministers to outline the plans for floating solar power generation on the reservoirs of Mallannasagar and Lower Manair dams.

“We are looking into the potential of establishing solar facilities in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, and other states with the state government's approval as part of the business expansion strategies,” the officials said, adding that according to their study, there won't be any loss of fish resources if floating solar power generation takes up only 6 percent of the reservoirs' surface.

Principal Secretary (Irrigation) Rahul Bojja, SCCL director NVK Srinivas, and other senior officials were also present.