May 10, 2012

In an ambitious plan, the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MahaGenco) is planning to commission 280 MW solar power capacity by July 2013.

The MahaGenco already has 5 MW solar power capacity at Chandrapur, while work on a 25 MW project at Sakhri in Dhule district has started. The decks for another 125 MW have been cleared at the Dhule site, work on which will begin soon and the utility has tied up with KfW, Germany for financial aid.

A senior MahaGenco official said they were planning an around Rs 1,000 crore project to add 125 MW at Osmanabad and Gangakhed in Parbhani, tenders for which would be floated soon.

The project will be funded by the Asian Development Bank and the utility will also approach the state government to pitch in the remaining amount as equity. The official added they were also planning another 75 MW at the Osmanabad and Parbhani sites once power purchase agreements were inked.