Public sector hydropower generator SJVN Ltd is discussing a collaboration with France’s official development agency AFD to set up solar projects in India.
AFD will also assist SJVN, which is looking to expand its presence on solar energy, with its experience and is discussing providing support on developing solar power as well as ensuring sustainability through the recycling of solar panels, Lise Breuil, AFD’s India director, told Mint.
SJVN began its foray into solar power in 2017, and has completed three projects with a total installed capacity of 81.3MW.
A query emailed to SJVN remained unanswered till press time.
AFD’s initiatives in India have placed a strong emphasis on renewable energy, with a particular accent on energy efficiency, hydroelectricity and solar power. In addition to collaborating with the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), it has given financial and technical support to private sector solar, wind, biomass and hydropower projects.
“The first funding awarded to IREDA in 2010 (EUR 10 million credit line) resulted in the implementation of eleven projects, ranging from biomass to small-scale hydroelectricity, wind farms, and solar photovoltaic projects,” AFD says on its official website.
“This success has led AFD and IREDA to renew and extend the scope of their cooperation. In 2013, AFD allocated to IREDA a new credit line of EUR 100 million, with a focus on the development of solar power plants,” it says.
Breuil said that solar energy would be a major priority. AFD and the Solar Energy Corporation of India inked a letter of intent in 2021 to create a floating solar power system in Jharkhand.
SJVN, a joint venture between the central government and the government of Himachal Pradesh, has built projects in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. With Nepal, SJVN was also involved in a project to build cross-border power transmission.
“From a power generation company, SJVN has also entered into power transmission sector by partnering with others companies to lay out the Cross Border Indo-Nepal Power Transmission Line,” according to SJVN. The power transmission line was declared commercial in 2016.
The company has formed joint ventures with state-run Indian Oil Corp. Ltd and Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) to work on renewable energy projects.
SJVN has also developed projects in the wind and thermal power sectors.
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world ? Click here to know more.