3-MV floating solar power plant to soon come up at Vizag’s Meghadri Gedda reservoir

A 3-MV floating solar power plant is all set to come up at Meghadri Gedda reservoir in Vizag. Initiated by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), the project is likely to be completed within a timeframe of three months.

Designed as the climate-resilient project with the grant of the Asian Development Bank under the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund, the floating solar power plant will be established with an estimated budget of Rs 15 crore. The project has been entrusted to ReNew Power, a Haryana-based company. Sharing details about this energy-efficient model, an official from the GVMC informed that the work which had begun last year was halted for a brief period due to the pandemic. Stating that the sub-station and other engineering works are currently underway, he mentioned that the floating modules and panels will be planted, covering about seven acres of the water surface.

Intending to finish the job at a faster pace, the civic body has set a target of three months to complete the floating solar power plant project at Meghadri Gedda reservoir. “The construction activities at the site have picked up the pace. If the work continues at this rate, the plant will go operational from February 2021,” the GVMC official added.

The municipal corporation had earlier set up a solar power plant at the Mudasarlova reservoir, which became functional last year. Taken up as a part of the Smart City initiative, the floating solar power plant was built over 20 acres, with an investment of around Rs 11.36 crore. Equipped with a capability to generate about 2MW of power, the plant in Vizag was then deemed as the country’s biggest floating solar power plant. It is to be noted that the floating solar project in Mudasarlova Reservoir was also featured by the world-renowned news channel, National Geographic, on the occasion of the Indian Independence Day this year.