NLC India Seals PPA for 810-MW Solar Park in Rajasthan

• NLC India lands 20-year PPA with RVUNL for an 810 MW solar park in Rajasthan, set to generate 2 billion kWh yearly and cut 1.5 MtCO₂.

India’s state-run NLC India Renewables Limited (NIRL) has landed a milestone power-purchase agreement for the entire output of an 810-megawatt solar park it plans to build near Pugal in Rajasthan’s sun-drenched Bikaner district. The deal—inked with state utility Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL)—marks NIRL’s largest photovoltaic undertaking to date and tightens the utility’s grip on India’s fast-expanding clean-energy market.

Why it matters

• Record-scale project: At 810 MW, Pugal Solar Park will vault NIRL past the gigawatt-scale threshold of solar capacity once completed, underscoring the company’s shift from lignite power toward renewables.

• Heavy-duty output: Engineers expect the plant to produce roughly two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year—enough to light more than 600,000 average Indian homes—while avoiding about 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually.

• Government push: The site forms part of India’s Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks (UMREPP) programme, an initiative designed to de-risk large projects by bundling land, permits and transmission access.

• Competitive tariff: NIRL won the project in an RVUNL-run reverse auction, signalling continued price pressure in India’s solar market even as module costs fluctuate. Tariff details were not disclosed but are thought to be below INR 2.60 per kWh.

• 2030 roadmap: Chairman-managing director Prasanna Kumar Motupalli said the agreement moves the group “meaningfully closer” to its target of installing 10 GW of renewable capacity by the decade’s end, complementing its legacy lignite mines and thermal plants.

Next steps
Construction is slated to begin once financial closure is achieved later this year, with phased commissioning expected from late 2026. Pugal’s desert location offers one of the nation’s highest solar-irradiation levels, though engineers must contend with extreme summer heat and frequent sandstorms. Grid integration will occur via a dedicated 400-kV substation, easing congestion on Rajasthan’s already renewable-heavy transmission corridors.

Analysts say successful execution could cement NLC India’s status as a serious player beyond its traditional strongholds in Tamil Nadu and Odisha, while granting RVUNL a sizable slice of price-stable, zero-carbon power. For Delhi policymakers, the project is another building block toward the national goal of 450 GW of renewables by 2030—proof, they argue, that India’s clean-energy pivot is gathering speed even as coal remains in the mix for grid stability.