Sun temple & Konark city to be fully illuminated by solar power, pact signed 

In line with Modhera in Gujarat, which is famous for the Sun temple, Konark city along with the Sun temple will be illuminated by solar power. 

Modhera is the first village to have become a solar city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the project on October 9. In 2020, the Central government had announced to make Konark a solar city.

The announcement is going to be a reality. The Grid Corporation of Odisha or Gridco recently informed this in a series of tweets on its Twitter handle.  

For this solar illumination of Konark area, a 10 MW solar project will be set up at Tentulipada under Junagarh block in Kalahandi district with an investment of Rs 45 crore. A consortium named Konark Suryanagri Private Limited will set up the project under the scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. 

The solar power generated from the project will be connected to the state grid from where the power will be provided for the illumination of Konark city. 

In this respect, a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) has recently been signed between the Gridco and Konark Suryanagri Private Limited.  

As per the agreement, Gridco will procure solar power from Konark Suryanagri Private Limited for 25 years at Rs2.77 /KW. 

“The total power consumption of Konark city will be offset by solar power. So solar power generation will be equal to the consumption of thermal power in the city. Konark will be a zero city,” informed director of Konark Suryanagri Private Limited, Chandrasekhar Mishra. As per the set deadline, the project will see the light of day by the end of 2023. 

Solar experts are optimistic about the success of the project. 

“This project is a good one. People will come to know how solar power can be generated and provided,” said Alok Panda, an expert. 

(Reported by Kapilendra Pradhan from Bhubaneswar)