Madhya Pradesh commissions 950 MW of solar, signs PPA for 440 MW Morena solar-plus-storage project

Madhya Pradesh has added 950 MW of new solar capacity to the national grid with the inauguration of the 500 MW Neemuch Solar Park and the 450 MW Shajapur Solar Park. The state government also signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the 440 MW Morena solar-plus-battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Bhopal.

The Morena project combines utility-scale solar generation with battery energy storage to ensure reliable electricity supply. According to the state government, the project secured a record-low tariff of INR 2.70/kWh for its category, following competitive bidding by 16 domestic and international developers.

“A key feature of this project is its battery utilisation model, under which the same battery will be charged and discharged twice every day. This significantly enhances battery productivity while reducing energy storage costs, making renewable energy with battery storage increasingly economical and commercially viable,” stated the state government in a media release.

The state government also shared the progress on the 1,920 MW Gandhi Sagar pumped storage project. Being developed by the Greenko Group at an estimated cost of INR 11,470 crore, it is among the largest pumped storage projects of its kind. The project will have an energy storage capacity of 10,326 MWh.

The project will utilize the existing Gandhi Sagar reservoir and an upper reservoir being developed at Khimla. The system will recycle water for electricity generation, requiring additional water only to compensate for evaporation losses. The project includes the installation of seven 240 MW and two 120 MW reversible pump-turbine units.