1GW! India’s PV Project Enters Full-Capacity Operation

PVTIME – India’s state-run Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) has successfully commissioned a 1GW PV power plant at full capacity. The project is fully compliant with India’s Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) and utilises 2.4 million modules manufactured by Tata Power Solar, a subsidiary of the Tata Group. Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) undertook the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work.

Located across two sites in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, the project has a total development cost of ₹54.92 billion and a fixed maximum tariff of ₹2.57 per unit. The power distribution plan has been finalised: 500MW will be supplied to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (RVPNL), 300MW to Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (JKPDCL), and 200MW will be used to meet the power needs of Uttarakhand, which will effectively alleviate clean energy supply pressure in these three regions.

The plant is expected to generate approximately 2.455 billion units of green electricity in its first year, with cumulative output reaching 56.838 billion units over 25 years. As one of Rajasthan’s key PV projects, the commissioning of this plant leverages the state’s abundant solar resources. Data shows that Rajasthan boasts a solar power potential of 142GW, making it a core hub for India’s clean energy transition. The state government has set a target of achieving 30GW of PV installed capacity by 2024–25.

This is not TPREL’s first deployment in the region. Previously, the company completed the commissioning of a 450MW DCR-compliant PV project for NHPC at the Karnisar Bhatiyan site in Bikaner. Completed in two and a half years, the project overcame challenges posed by the desert terrain and utilised approximately 775,000 DCR batteries and bifacial modules, supplied by TP Solar’s Tirunelveli factory.

The commissioning of this 1GW project will significantly enhance TPREL’s influence in the industry, increasing its total installed capacity of centralised renewable energy to 11.6GW, including 4.9GW of third-party EPC projects. Tata Group’s own operational renewable energy capacity currently stands at 5.8GW, comprising 4.7GW of PV and 1.1GW of wind power. A further 5.8GW of projects are under development, including 3GW of PV and 2.8GW of wind power, and will be commissioned in phases over the next three to 24 months.

Developed under the DCR framework, the project is a prime example of India’s Make in India strategy in the energy sector. In recent years, India has introduced a series of policies to strengthen its domestic PV industrial chain, leading to the rapid growth of local enterprises such as the Tata Group. The successful commissioning of this project advances India’s goal of reaching 500GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030, and provides a replicable model for the coordinated development of the domestic industrial chain.