Engie commisions 140 MW plant Bhadla, signs 250 MW solar PPA

On the inauguration of the 75 MW (100 MWp) Mirzapur solar PV plant on March 12, Isabelle Kocher, CEO of Engie, commented, “It is an honor to welcome President of France, Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi to Mirzapur, one of our key assets in the country.”

Engie was awarded the Mirzapur solar project in May 2016 for a price of INR 4.43/kWh (~$0.068/kWh) and signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in June 2016.

Engie also recently signed a 25-year PPA for the 250 MW (338 MWp) Kadapa PV park, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Ltd. In April 2017, the French company made the most competitive bid for this project, with a price of INR 3.15/kWh (~$0.0485/kWh).

Meanwhile, in the state of Rajasthan, the 140 MW (190 MWp) Bhadla solar park began commercial operation, following successful commissioning in June 2017. Engie won this project in 2016, with an offer of INR 4.35/kWh (~$0.067/kWh).

Engie mentioned that one of the distinctive features of the Bhadla plant is the use of a remotely operated, water-free robotic mechanism from Ecoppia for cleaning modules, a cost-effective and efficient technique that optimizes the cleaning process, guaranteeing long-term high performance.

“This plant [Mirzapur] and the different successes we announce today support our ambition to be a major partner for the development of renewables in India, a fast-growing country for global energy transition businesses,” said Kocher. “Globally, Engie is committed to investing massively in low-carbon generation, one of the growth engines of the Group.”

The French energy company has also announced wind projects of 30 MW in Gujarat and 50 MW in Tamil Nadu.

Present for over two decades in India, Engie has a total installed solar capacity of 600 MW (813 MWp), and 80 MW of wind, and employs around 1,000 people in power generation, engineering, and energy services.

Providing more details to the installations, an Engie official told pv magazine, “813 MWp comprises – 231 MWp in Rajasthan, 71 MWp in Punjab, 60 MWp in Telangana, 101 MWp in Uttar Pradesh, and 350 MWp in Andhra Pradesh.”

The Engie Group is currently one of the largest independent electricity producers in the world. Renewable energy represents 23% of its global generation capacity (24 GW out of 102.7 GW, at the end of 2017). Its aim is to commission 14 GW of additional renewable capacity by 2022.