Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu formally inaugurated 32 MW Pekhubela solar power project, developed by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) at Pekhubela in Una district on Thursday.

The project spans 49 hectares and has been completed at a cost of Rs. 220 crore.

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The foundation stone for this project was laid by the Chief Minister on 2 December, 2023 and within a span of approximately four months and the power generation commenced on 15 April, 2024.

“The project is expected to produce 6.61 crore units of electricity each year. This would generate Rs. 19.17 crore revenue for the state at a rate of Rs. 2.90 per unit. The project features 82,656 solar modules with electricity being transmitted through the Rakkad-Tahliwal transmission line,” he said.

“Furthermore, the Pekhubela solar project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 2,532 tonne annually.19,200 workdays were generated during the construction of this project,” he added.

Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh was marching ahead to becoming the first green energy state of the country.

As part of this initiative, the state government has set a target for HPPCL to install 500 MW of solar power capacity, he added.

He said that to achieve this target, currently the Corporation has allotted construction of three solar projects totalling 47 MW and one of these projects has been completed.

In order to enhance the power generation capacity, the government has invited tenders for seven additional solar projects with a combined capacity of 72 MW through HPPCL, said the Chief Minister.

The detailed project reports (DPR) were being prepared for four solar power projects totalling 54 MW, whereas pre-feasibility reports for ten solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 77 MW were also in progress.

“FCA permissions were being sought for 50 MW of solar power projects, with another 200 MW of solar projects in the exploratory stage. These include 160 MW in district Una, 110 MW in district Solan, 170 MW in district Kangra, 50 MW in district Mandi and 10 MW in district Bilaspur,” said the Chief Minister.