HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 15: Marking a major milestone in Assam’s transition towards sustainable energy, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday inaugurated a 70 MW solar power project at Khudigaon in the Bilasipara area of Dhubri district, significantly boosting the state’s renewable energy capacity.
Built at a cost of over Rs 350 crore on nearly 1,000 bighas of land freed from encroachment, the solar power project is expected to generate around 141 million units of electricity annually while reducing nearly 1.15 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions.
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The project has been developed by SJVN Green Energy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Navratna PSU SJVN Ltd, in partnership with the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited, and will be operated and maintained for 25 years.
Speaking at the inauguration, Sarma said the commissioning of the project has taken Assam’s total solar power generation capacity to 680 MW.
“At one point of time, we had no solar power projects. Today, we are generating 680 MW of solar power,” he said, highlighting the rapid progress made in recent years.
He added that the state is steadily moving towards greater energy self-reliance, with more projects already in the pipeline.
“Another 50 MW solar power project being implemented by SJVN at Borsola in Sonitpur district will be completed by April, and we will reach around 750 MW then,” the chief minister said.
Reiterating the long-term vision, Sarma announced, “Assam’s solar energy target is 3,500 MW by 2030.”
The chief minister said the Khudigaon project also reflects the government’s policy of putting cleared government land to productive use.
“Our aim is to clear government land of encroachments and implement projects on those lands. This will generate employment and uplift the local economy,” he said, adding that vacant cleared land cannot be left unused as it risks being encroached upon again.
A power purchase agreement has already been signed between APDCL and SJVN Green Energy Limited for the electricity generated from the project at a tariff of Rs 3.92 per unit.
Sarma said the project had been completed in record time and would play a significant role in making Assam self-reliant in green power.
Power minister Prasanta Phukan, senior officials of APDCL and SJVN, and district officials from Dhubri and Kokrajhar were present at the inauguration.
Local residents welcomed the project, expressing hope that it would contribute to regional development while strengthening Assam’s clean energy future. (With inputs from PTI)
