Uttam Pushes Solar Power on Irrigation Lands, Water Bodies

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday directed irrigation officials to identify and use available department lands, reservoirs and canal systems for solar power generation.

At a meeting where he reviewed power requirements for irrigation with senior department officials, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the state was spending heavily on power for irrigation projects and lift schemes and the department must explore solar and pumped storage projects wherever possible to reduce long-term power costs and create sustainable energy sources.

“Solar projects on all available irrigation land should be the first priority. Other revenue sources can be taken up later,” he told officials. Reminding officials that feasibility studies for installing solar power systems were conducted at 16 reservoirs, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that even if around 10 per cent of suitable reservoir and irrigation land area was used for this purpose, it would potentially generate 6,000 to 7,000 MW of solar power.

Officials also presented a proposal for a canal-based solar project under the Build Own Operate and Transfer model on a canal stretch of about 15 km between Jagora and Chandora. This project can support a 20 MW solar power system, generate around 340 lakh units annually and meet the project’s requirement of about 84 lakh units. The surplus energy of about 255 lakh units could be sold, generating revenue of nearly Rs.11.5 crore per year.