24 January,2022 07:24 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
A 20 MW hydropower plant and 80 MW solar energy plant will be developed at Middle Vaitarna dam, the ownership of which will be with the BMC. File pic/Pradeep Dhivar
The country's first project at the municipal level to generate power, will be in Mumbai. The project will create 100 MW hybrid renewable energy at the Middle Vaitarna reservoir. The power generation and power purchase agreement (PPA) will be done today between the BMC and the project developers.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be the first Urban Local Body to enter the field of Hybrid Power Generation, and permission to develop the Middle Vaitarna Hydro Power Project was granted by the government of Maharashtra in December 2019. A 20 MW hydropower plant and 80 MW solar energy plant will be developed at Middle Vaitarna dam. During the construction of the dam, a water supply cum power outlet was planned for water supply and power generation.
The solar power project will be on reservoir water so it does not require separate space. It will be completed on build, operate and transfer basis. The standing committee had approved M/s Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Mahalakshmi Konal Energy Pvt. Ltd. as developers in January 2021.
Approximately 208 Million Units of Power will be generated through this project, which will save an approximate Rs 23 crore to Rs 25 crore in BMC's annual energy bills. The saved amount can be used for civic projects in the city.
The power generated from this project will be supplied to the MSEDCL grid. A civic official explained that in return, the amount will be adjusted in the electricity bills in the Pise-Panjrapur water treatment complex in the jurisdiction of the BMC.
The cost of setting up the project is estimated at around Rs 536 crore and will be borne by the developer. Apart from this, the developer has to bear the cost of operation and maintenance for the next 25 years. However, the project will be owned by the BMC.
The Power Procurement Agreement for purchasing power at a tariff of Rs 4.75 per unit for the next 25 years was signed on Sunday. The financial closure of this project will be done in the first 210 days (7 months) after signing PPA. The project will be constructed in the next two years after the financial closure.
Rs 536
The cost of the solar power project
