Tata Power commissions Kayamkulam floating solar power plant in Kerala

Kayamkulam floating solar power plant : Tata Power said that its fully-owned subsidiary Tata Power Solar Systems has commissioned a 101.6MWp floating solar power project in Kayamkulam, Kerala.

The Kayamkulam floating solar power project is installed on a 350-acre water body, backwaters area.

Tata Power said that the installation of the largest floating solar power project in India was wrapped up within the targeted period, in spite of the challenges caused by variable depths of water, high sea tides, and extreme concerns of water salinity faced during the construction stage.

The Kayamkulam floating solar power plant has a floating inverter platform with a capacity of 5MW.

According to Tata Power, the entire floating solar power plant in Kerala is anchored to the waterbed of the backwater with 134 cast pile foundations that were bored to a 20m water depth to support the central monitoring and control stations (CMCS) and the 33/220 kilovolts switchyard.

The Kayamkulam floating solar power plant in Kerala. Photo courtesy of Tata Power.

Commenting on the Kayamkulam floating solar power plant, Dr. Praveer Sinha – Tata Power CEO and MD said: “The commissioning of India’s first and largest floating solar project is an innovative and incremental step toward meeting India’s sustainable energy goals. We are incredibly proud of our team’s unrelenting efforts in delivering this unique solar project that floats atop a large waterbody.”

The floating solar power project in India is underpinned by a power purchase agreement signed with a PSU client, under which 100% of its produced power will be used by Kerela State Electricity Board (KSEB).

Ashish Khanna —Tata Power President – Renewables, commenting on the Kayamkulam floating solar power plant, said: “The installation exhibits our determination toward timely project delivery, smooth execution skills, and well-synchronized team effort.

“This project reinforces Tata Power Solar’s commitment to leading India’s transition towards a greener future and achieving our collective vision of realizing 500 GW of energy through solar power by 2030.”

Earlier this month, Tata Power Solar commissioned a 450MWDC solar power plant for Brookfield Renewable India in Rajasthan.