Uttar Pradesh is on track to fulfill the goal of satisfying 40 per cent of its energy needs through solar and alternative sources. Currently, the state has 125 projects in the pipeline with an anticipated investment of Rs 1 trillion in the clean energy sector. Among these initiatives, the initial phases will witness the establishment of four solar projects valued at Rs 350 billion, strategically located in various districts of Bundelkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. During the 2023 Global Investor Summit, the state government received investment proposals totaling Rs 40 trillion. A substantial portion of this overall investment was allocated to solar power and other clean energy projects under the Akshay Urja scheme.
In the ongoing investment plans, Greenko Group is slated to establish an off-stream closed-loop pump storage project in Sonbhadra, eastern Uttar Pradesh. This initiative aims to generate 3,660 MW of electricity, with an anticipated investment of Rs 170 billion. Furthermore, some other projects will be set up by TUSCO limited (a 1,000 MW on Matatila Dam in Lalitpur district at an investment of Rs 65 billion), Bundelkhand Solar Energy Limited (a 1,200 MW solar power park in Jalaun district), and ACME Cleantech Solution (two off-stream closed-loop pump projects in Prayagraj and Meerganj). Moreover, at the Bhakhira Bird Sanctuary in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the state government plans to build a 50 MW floating solar power plant. The state government aims to power all 1,994 cold storages, collectively holding 1.65 crore metric tonnes of storage capacity, with solar energy. As part of the solar city program, NTPC is in the process of establishing a 40 MW solar power plant on 165 acres of land in Ayodhya. The project, for which the land has been identified, is currently in progress, with some segments already operational, and the remaining anticipated to be operational by March 2024.
The state is presently generating approximately 2,152 MW of solar energy, with 372 MW being made available through open access. The Bundelkhand region has experienced the highest concentration of solar plants, contributing to nearly 60 per cent of the total solar power produced in the state.
