NTPC to set up 4.75 GW solar park in Rann of Kutch

NTPC will build India’s largest solar park of 4.75 GW at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, from where the company will also produce green hydrogen on a commercial scale. On Tuesday, India’s largest power production utility’s subsidiary, NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd, informed the media that it obtained approval from the Ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) under the ultra-mega renewable energy power parks (UMREPP) scheme to establish a 4,750 MW renewable energy park, at Rann of Kutch, in Khavda, Gujarat. It comes against the backdrop of reports about NTPC’s plans to list NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd. The PSU has also declared its aim of a 10% decrease in net energy intensity as part of its energy compact goals. NTPC intends to invest Rs 1 trillion between 2019 and 2024 to become a 130GW power generator by 2032. Of this, 60 GW will be generated from renewable energy sources. State-run companies present in the conventional power space, including NTPC, aim to establish massive green energy parks under the UMREPP scheme in the wind and solar-resource rich states like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. NTPC’s pivot towards green energy rises when India is considering a plan to make it compulsory for fertilizer plants and oil refineries to obtain green hydrogen as part of plans to decrease the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. On Tuesday, NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd also signed a deal with the Union territory of Ladakh to establish a green hydrogen mobility project in the area. As per a report, a draft note made for the Union cabinet has asked fertilizer plants and oil refineries to use green hydrogen to reach 0.15% of their total hydrogen requirements, commencing 2023-24 and ramping it up to a tenth of all their requirements within six years. Image Source Also read: NTPC Invites bids for 500 MW grid-connected solar projects Also read: NTPC plans to install 60 GW RE capacity by 2032