Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday inaugurated a 25 MW solar power plant, the second in as many days, in line with the state government’s target of meeting 50 per cent of its power demand through solar energy within the next four years.
The latest plant has come up at Bhalukghata in Kamrup district and has been set up under Assam Solar Energy Policy, 2017, in ‘Build, Own, Operate’ model by the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) and Azure Power.
The Lalpul solar power plant in Udalguri district, opened by the chief minister on Tuesday, is the first plant under the Policy.
Two more solar power plants under the same Policy are coming up at Nagaon and Silchar.
“Happy to inaugurate 25-MW Boko Solar Park at Bhalukghata, Boko in Kamrup district. The project will lead to enhanced solar power generation, employment opportunities, check environmental degradation and augmentation of power generation capacity in Assam,” Sarma Tweeted after the opening ceremony.
He added, “We are taking proactive steps to set up solar projects in various parts of the State. In the coming years, we plan to shift towards non-conventional energy sources.”
Sarma had said on Tuesday that the state is looking to meet 50 per cent of its power demand through solar energy within the next four years and solar power generation in the state will increase to 215 MW shortly.
The chief minister had earlier said that the current power demand in the state is 2,200 MW, out of which the state is looking to generate 1,000 MW in coming days. Assam meets most of its energy requirements by purchasing electricity from various players of Northeast and the rest of the country.
