40 MW Solar Power Plant Up and Running for Azure Power India

Solar developer Azure Power India has expanded its 5MW facility in Nagaur, Rajasthan, with an additional 35MW making it the largest project commissioned at a single location under India’s National Solar Mission.

The company received US$70 million loan from the US Export Import Bank to construct the additional plant. The Ex-Im Bank also provided US$16 million for the 5MW plant in July 2011, which was one of the first to be developed under India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, and also one of the first to receive financial backing from an international financing institution.

The plant is using thin-film PV modules from manufacturer First Solar. James Brown, Executive Vice President of Global Business Development for First Solar, said, “India has ambitious solar power development goals, and we are very excited to contribute its growth and success.”

The plant is spread over 122 hectares of wasteland which the company states will ensure sustainable development of the economy through income generation and local employment generation for construction, installation, security and maintenance. The plant is expected to offset about 66,000 metric tonnes of CO2 per year.

Azure Power has a portfolio of 55MW claiming to have had the longest operating history of solar power plants across various states in India. The company will have invested more than INR 1000 crores (US$2 billion) in the Indian solar sector by March 2013.