Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the first phase of the Pavagada Solar Park, with a 2000 Mega Watt (MW) capacity spread over 13,000 acres on March 1. In the first phase, the solar park under Tirumani Gram Panchayat (GP) limits will generate 600 MW.

“Karnataka has emerged as the third-largest producer of renewable energy in the country. We have set a goal to source at least 20 per cent of power requirements from renewable projects,” Siddaramaiah said, “in future, Karnataka aims to be an energy-surplus state”.

The park, located in the bone dry region of Pavagada, will help 2,300 farmers earn up to Rs 21,000 per acre of land and has been executed at a cost of Rs 16,000 Crore. Executed in two years, the project has been completed with zero land acquisition. “Pavagada in Tumakuru is one of the most arid regions. Over the last five decades, more than 10,000 people were forced to migrate annually from Pavagada. Under this project, farmers will be treated as partners as well as beneficiaries”, said Energy Minister D K Shivakumar briefing on the solar park project.

Named “Shakti Sthala”, the solar park is touted to be the world’s biggest solar power installation and spreads across five villages. They include Rayacharlu under Tirumani Gram Panchayat (GP), Venktammanahalli under Vallur GP and Kyataganacharlu Balasamudra villages. The park is unique because of people’s participation in power generation model put forward in implementing the project.

Karnataka has seen an overall increase of nearly 66 percent in power generation capacity during the last 6 years, touching 23,379 MW in January this year.

The solar park generated 600 MW power as of January 2018 while an additional 1,400 MW is expected to be generated by December.

Even as the southern state claims that this solar park is the largest, Rajasthan’s Bhadla solar park coming up in Jodhpur district will have a capacity of 2,255 MW when fully operational.