Inaugurated by Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa.
The Adani Group unveiled the world’s largest solar power plant at Kamudhi in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday. The power plant will produce 648MW electricity and is connected to the power grid through a 400 kilovolts substation of Tamil Nadu Transmission Corp.
The plant is part of Tamil Nadu government’s plan to generate 3000 MW using solar energy according to the solar policy which was unveiled in 2012.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa inaugurated the plant.
“This is a momentous occasion for Tamil Nadu as well as for the entire country. We are… happy to dedicate this plant to the nation. A plant of this magnitude reinstates the country’s ambitions of becoming one of the leading green energy producers in the world,” Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, was quoted as saying by PTI.
The plant was set up with an investment of $677 million (4550 INR) on an area of 5000 acres. Adani group claimed that about 8000 people worked daily to complete the project in a record time of eight months.
The use of solar energy has escalated in India recently with the efforts of the state and central governments.
The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in Kerala became the world’s first solar-powered airport after setting up a 12 MW solar power plant last year.
While India is trying to rise the use of solar energy, it faced a major setback on Friday as the appellate body (AB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) maintained its earlier rule which was in favor of the US in its challenge to New Delhi’s alleged discrimination against US solar exports.
The dispute settlement panel had, earlier, agreed with the US that India’s “localization” rules discriminated against imported solar cells and modules under India’s National Solar Mission.
India’s domestic content requirements, it agreed, discriminate against US solar cells and modules by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-manufactured cells and modules rather than the US or other imported solar technology in breach of international trade rules.
The panel had ruled that India’s local content requirements were inconsistent with the national treatment obligations in Article 2.1 of the Agreement on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMs Agreement) and Article III:4 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.