<div><strong>By Simar Singh</strong></div><div> </div><div>In congruence with the country-wide thrust to move towards greener energy avenues, Punjab’s largest solar power project was inaugurated by Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing, Harsimrat Badal and State Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia in Jaga Ram Teearth village in Bhatinda district on Thursday (08 October).</div><div> </div><div>Developed by Welspun Renewables, the 32 MW plant which is located 40 kilometres from Bhatinda is spread across 140 acres and will provide around 48 million units of clean and emission-free energy to Punjab’s state grid for the next 25 years.</div><div> </div><div>At the low-key inauguration ceremony, Harsimrat Badal said that Punjab was the country’s first state to develop a diversification scheme to turn agriculturists into clean energy entrepreneurs and that the state was targeting to have at least 15 such entrepreneurs per block in the next five years. This, according to her, would ensure that 10 per cent of Punjab’s requirement would be fulfilled by green energy generation.</div><div> </div><div>Majithia explained that the Punjab government was coming up with a scheme that would promote the setting up of solar projects among famers on their own land. This will be done through a 50:50 partnership with corporates and 25 year long MoUs will be signed for the same.</div><div> </div><div>He went on to say that to give impetus to the scheme, the government would make subsidies available and allot 500 MW capacity projects to farmers.</div><div> </div><div>The Punjab Government has set a cumulative target of 4200 MW solar power generation capacity and Welspun Renewables has signed an MoU for setting up an additional 151 MW solar capacity in the state. The company itself has made a commitment to set up 11,001 megawatts worth of renewable capacities over India.</div>
_20240527192124_original_image_21.webp)
