The Government of Gujarat announced that 479 MW of solar projects had been awarded to various developers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Uthan Mahabhiyaan (PM KUSUM).

It was stated that these projects had been tendered for feeder-level solarization under Component C of the PM KUSUM program and were expected to become operational by the end of 2024.

The winning companies, including Onix Renewable, Indian Infrastructure and Project India, WAA Solar, Raghuvir Avenues, and GreenBloom Energy, among others, were mentioned.

It was mentioned that the quoted tariffs had ranged from Rs 2.87/kWh to Rs 3.00/kWh.

It was further stated that the tariff range and the capacities allocated to the winners were mentioned in the table titled List of Winners of Solar Projects Under PGVCL's Tender (Component C of KUSUM Program).

It was informed that these projects would be distributed across 170 locations in Gujarat.

Additionally, it was reported that power purchase agreements had been signed with the state electricity distribution company, Paschim Gujarat Vij.

As per the PM Kusum program, it was explained that agriculture feeders that were already segregated or primarily supported agricultural loads could be solarized by installing grid-connected solar projects to meet their annual power needs.

It was elaborated that the total annual power requirements for an agriculture feeder would be assessed, and a solar project of sufficient capacity would be installed through either CAPEX or RESCO mode.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that solar power projects could be installed at the feeder level to meet the power needs of a single feeder or multiple agriculture feeders from a distribution sub-station, feeding power at 11 KV or higher voltage, depending on land availability and technical feasibility.

According to the guidelines, it was outlined that the cost of a solar project was benchmarked at Rs 35 million/MW with central financial assistance (CFA) of Rs 10.5 million/MW.