OREANDA-NEWS. April 28, 2011. Pursuant to the company’s objective of building a robust renewable energy portfolio that is 20-25 per cent of its total generation capacity, Tata Power, India’s largest integrated private power utility, announced the commercial operation (COD) of its 3-MW, photovoltaic (PV) based, grid-connected solar power plant at Mulshi, Maharashtra. The plant achieved COD in March 2011, reported the press-centre of Tata Power.
 
This is the first and largest solar PV power plant in the state of Maharashtra and one of the largest in the country. The plant is spread over 12 acres of land and is situated near Pune. The company had set up its first solar power plant of 100 kW way back in 1996 at Walwhan in Lonavla.
 
Speaking on the occasion, Anil Sardana, managing director, Tata Power, said, “The commissioning of the grid-connected 3-MW solar power plant in Mulshi marks a significant milestone for Tata Power and we are delighted with this achievement. This addition reinforces the company’s sustainability agenda and commitment of setting up generation capabilities through renewable sources. Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) is one of the regulators to have adopted renewable power obligations (RPO) and our customers in Mumbai would be getting green power through solar energy.”
 
The energy produced from the 3-MW solar plant in Mulshi will be purchased by Tata Power- Distribution in Mumbai to meet the RPO as per MERC guidelines.
 
Tata BP Solar is the technology provider for the project. The project is Tata Power’s and Tata BP Solar’s novel experience in building, operating, and maintaining a megawatt-scale grid-connected solar power plant in India. Given the modular nature of the system, the project was executed in nine months.
 
The company has an aggressive plan of generating 25,000 MW by 2017 and intends to have a 20-25 per cent contribution from "clean power sources", which will include a mix of hydro, solar, wind, geothermal and waste gas power generation.
 
Apart from the 3-MW solar plant at Mulshi, the company, through its subsidiary, is implementing a solar power project of 25 MW in Mithapur, Gujarat, for which it has already signed the power purchase agreement with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam, under the Gujarat state’s Solar Power Policy 2009. The Gujarat solar project is targeting COD in December 2011. Tata Power’s subsidiary, North Delhi Power, has also commissioned a 1-MW grid-connected rooftop solar plant in Delhi.