Solar plants to be set up on canals

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 8

Solar power plants will now be installed along the canals of the state with solar panels covering them. Solar plants will be installed on Sidhwan and Ghaggar branch canals. Each plant will have a capacity of 2.5 megawatts (MW).

Around 1.7 km long solar panels will be installed over the Ghaggar branch, few hundred metres downstream from Nadampur village in Sangrur district. Solar panels will cover around 1.1 km of the Sidhwan canal, few hundred metres downstream from the Sirhind canal near Doraha.

The projects are being monitored by Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA). Officials said PEDA had already awarded the work for these projects to a private firm. “A skeletal curvature of heavy metal will be constructed on the canal banks and solar panels will be installed over this structure,” said Balour Singh, Director, PEDA.

The director further added, “Work has been awarded to the firm on Built Operate Own pattern. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited will sign an agreement to purchase power from these two units for 25 years, beginning April 2017. These units will be installed by December this year.”

Officials also revealed that PEDA had signed the Implementation Agreement with the private firm. PEDA, the firm and state Department of Irrigation had signed a tripartite agreement, said officials.