Uttar Pradesh Accelerates Solar Energy Push Amid Rising Electricity Demand And Prices

In response to escalating electricity consumption and rising prices, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is championing solar energy as a sustainable solution for Uttar Pradesh. The state is advancing several major solar projects, including nine solar parks with a combined capacity of 3,710 megawatts (MW).

To date, three of these parks, totaling 435 MW, commission. The remaining six parks are progressing through the bidding process, with land allocation already finalized for all nine, expediting their development.

Under Chief Minister Adityanath’s direction, solar parks have been established in Bundelkhand cities—Jhansi, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot, and Jalaun—as well as in Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Mirzapur, and Prayagraj. The bidding process is underway for the parks in Bundelkhand, Kanpur Nagar, and Kanpur Dehat.

Anupam Kumar Shukla, Director of the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency, revealed significant investments in the solar sector. He highlighted that while 435 MW of solar capacity has already been commissioned, construction is ongoing for additional parks, including:

– 600 MW in Jhansi and Lalitpur
– 800 MW in Chitrakoot
– 1,200 MW in Jalaun
– 75 MW in Kanpur Dehat
– 35 MW in Kanpur Nagar

The tender for the Jhansi solar park issue two days ago, with tenders for Lalitpur and Chitrakoot expected by Tuesday and for Jalaun within the next 15 days. Land and connectivity arrangements are in place for all parks.

Shukla also noted that apart from the 3,710 MW under construction, the state is advancing other solar projects totaling 6,900 MW. This includes rooftop solar installations and various initiatives, with a cumulative 4,130 MW of solar capacity already commissioned.

Biomass Energy Production

The state government’s broader solar strategy includes installing rooftop panels on residential buildings, establishing solar cities, providing solar-powered electricity to agricultural farms, and promoting pump storage and bioenergy production. Uttar Pradesh ranks second nationwide in biomass energy production.

Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, the state is installing solar energy plants on the rooftops of 2.5 million houses, providing 300 units of free electricity to residents.

Uttar Pradesh aims to generate 22,000 MW of electricity from solar energy, with plans to install 6,000 MW of rooftop solar plants and 14,000 MW of utility-scale solar projects. Additionally, the PM-KUSUM Yojana is supporting the operation of 16.17 MW of grid tube wells using solar energy.

The Solar Park Scheme, launched by the Government of India in December 2014, supports states in developing solar parks with essential infrastructure. Nationwide, the scheme has approved a total capacity of 39,250 MW, with 11,591 MW already established across 22 solar parks.