World’s largest solar power plant of 648 MW capacity now linked to the grid

Adani Green Energy (Tamil Nadu) Ltd’s 648-MW (megawatt) solar power plant located at Kamuthi, Ramanathapuram in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India has been officially linked to the nation’s grid after it was hooked up with the Kamuthi 400 KV substation of Tantransco.

It is now dubbed as the world’s largest solar power plant at a single location.

The Rs45.5-billion plantis part of the state government’s ambitious yet highly achievable target of generating 3,000 MW as per its new solar energy policy unveiled in 2012.

Adani Green Energy (Tamil Nadu) Ltd, a part of the Adani Group, a globally integrated infrastructure player, sourced equipment and machinery from various parts of the world to set up the entire 648 MW within a record time of 8 months. Around 8,500 personnel worked to install about an average of 11 MW in a day.

Speaking on the achievement, Gautam Adani, Adani Group’s chairman, said, “This is a momentous occasion for the state of Tamil Nadu as well as the entire country.  We are extremely happy to dedicate this plant to the nation; a plant of this magnitude reinstates the country’s ambitions of becoming one of the leading green energy producers in the world. I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Honorable Chief Minister and the government of Tamil Nadu for their valuable support and guidance in achieving this gigantic feat.”

The massive plant comprises of 380,000 foundations, 2.5 million solar modules, 576 inverters, 154 transformers and 6,000 km of cables. Commissioned by Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the plant is spread across 2,500 acres of land and will supply enough clean, green energy for 300,000 homes.