Tata Power Solar Commissions India’s Largest 101.6 MWp Floating Solar Power Project In Kerala Backwaters

Tata Power Solar Systems Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, has commissioned India's largest floating solar power project in Kayamkulam, Kerala on a 350-acre water body, backwaters area, having an installed capacity of 101.6 Megawatt Peak (MWp), the company said in a release on Saturday (25 June).

This installation was completed within the stipulated period, despite the arduous challenges of variable water depths, high sea tides, and severe water salinity concerns faced throughout the project's construction duration, the company said.

Tata Power Solar built a scaffolding platform on the water body to make the entire solar plant float on water.

The project is the first one in the Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) through Power Purchase Agreement category.

The solar plant, according to the company, boasts a floating inverter platform having a 5 Megawatt (MW) capacity.

The large-scale installation and commissioning of this 101.6 MWp capacity solar plant have been the fastest in the FSPV category, with ready a Commercial Operation Date (CoD) certification, which means the project has been nodded as complete and operational, the company said.

The entire project is anchored to the waterbed of Kerala backwater using 134 cast pile foundations that are bored to a depth of 20 meters underwater to support the Central Monitoring and Control Stations (CMCS) and the 33/220 kilovolts switchyard.

All this was done by dredging soil strata underwater, wherein the high groundwater was also a deterrent, the company said.

To operationalize the project, Tata Power Solar 's execution team was able to synchronise the 33/220 Kilovolts Air Insulated Substation (AIS) with 220 Kilovolts existing Gas Insulated Substation (GIS), according to the company.

Speaking about the project, Praveer Sinha, CEO, and MD, Tata Power, 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 company said that a power purchase agreement has been signed with a PSU client, wherein the entire power generated from this plant will be used by Kerela State Electricity Board (KSEB).

Interestingly, all the solar modules used in this plant were safely transported, unloaded, and stored on a limited parcel of land for about 35 days by Tata Power Solar .

In its construction stages, the plant also adequately housed a team of 350 personnel who were tasked with speeding up the project as per contract agreements.

Ashish Khanna, President – Renewables, Tata Power, added, "We are thrilled to commission India's largest floating solar project of 101.6 MWp in Kerala's backwaters. 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."

The project is also one of the first by Tata Power Solar to be monitored and tracked by 24x7 CCTVs for added security and malfunction detections, the company said.

With the commissioning of this project, the company's total utility-scale solar project portfolio has touched 9.7GWp, it added.