Tender floated for 50MW solar power project at Parli thermal plant site

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited has floated a tender for setting up a 50MW solar power project on the premises of the Parli Vaijnath thermal power station in Beed, marking a move towards converting idle thermal plant land into a renewable energy hub.The project will come up on vacant land of decommissioned units 1 to 5 of the Parli thermal power plant, and is taken up as the first phase of a larger solar initiative planned for the region.The tender follows an assurance given by chief minister and energy minister Devendra Fadnavis to former minister and Parli MLA Dhananjay Munde during the previous session of the state legislative assembly. Munde had raised the issue in the House and demanded that the unused land of the shut thermal units be utilised to establish a mega solar power project with a total proposed capacity of 350MW. Accepting the demand, Fadnavis assured the House that a solar energy project would be set up at Parli.With the tender for the 50MW project published, the proposal has now moved into the implementation stage. Officials said once the bidding process is completed and a contractor is finalised, on-ground work for the project will begin. The remaining capacity of the proposed 350MW solar project is likely to be developed in phases in the coming years.The solar project is expected to boost renewable energy generation in the Marathwada region and also provide employment opportunities to residents. Jobs are likely to be generated during the construction phase, as well as later during the operation and maintenance of the plant. The initiative is also seen as a step in ensuring productive use of land that remains unused since the thermal units were decommissioned.Local politicians described the tendering of the solar project as a milestone in Parli's development. Munde thanked CM Fadnavis on behalf of the people of Parli for fulfilling the assurance given in the assembly and initiating the process for the solar power project, which is expected to play a key role in the area's future growth.