Vikram Solar commissions 200 MW utility-scale solar in Andhra Pradesh

The plant, situated in district Anatapuramu of Andhra Pradesh, is segregated into two blocks of 100 MW each for better management and higher efficiency. It is expected to power nearly 150,000 homes once connected to the grid.

February 19, 2019 Uma Gupta

Vikram Solar's 200 MW solar project for APGENCO is spread across 1000 acres (500 acres each for 100 MW) of undulated rocky terrain.

Vikram Solar

Vikram Solar—Kolkata-based module manufacturer and solar EPC contractor—has added a substantial chunk to the state’s installed solar capacity by commissioning a 200 MW solar power project for Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO). The project will power around 150,000 homes once connected to the grid.

As of January, Andhra Pradesh had a cumulative installed solar capacity of 2,515.78 MW. Under the new Solar Policy announced recently, the state eyes a minimum 5 GW of new capacity installed over the next five years.

Vikram Solar’s APGENCO project is spread across 1000 acres (500 acres each for 100 MW) of undulated rocky terrain. Power generated will be evacuated at 33 KV level in two pooling substations of 33/220 KV capacity, which will further evacuate power to a 220/400 KV main substation.

On the occasion, Kuldeep Jain, COO-EPC, Vikram Solar shared: “We faced many challenges during the execution of this project. Undulated land required boulders/rocks to be excavated from the site. Multiple and yet careful execution of blasting required to reach the desired trench depth for cable placement, and non-availability of natural earth material for back filling presented engineering challenges. On the other hand, confusion surrounding Goods & Service Tax (GST) rate applicability impacted cash flows, and implementation of safeguard [duty] delayed delivery of modules.”

“However, meticulous planning and strategy development in engineering and operations helped us in successfully completing the project with an average installation of around 4 MW per day,” he added.

The project uses a total of 8,48,680 modules, ranging from 320 Wp to 330 Wp. It is expected to produce 446 million units (MU) of energy annually and reduce 210 metric tonnes of CO₂emissions in a year.

Vikram Solar will also carry out operation and maintenance of the plant for a period of five years from the date of commissioning.

Earlier this month, Vikram Solar had secured a 1 MW private-sector floating solar project for Hindustan Zinc Limited. The plant—at Ghosunda Dam, near Chittorgarh in Rajasthan—would be Vikram Solar’s second floating PV plant after the company gave India its first such facility in 2015, in Kolkata.

Vikram Solar has more than 950 MW of commissioned and under execution EPC solar projects in India. It recently commissioned two 10 MW solar projects for the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company, at Patni, near Kharagpur, and at Lalgarh, near Midnapore in West Bengal.

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