Ministry Approves SJVN's to Set Up Transmission Lines for 1 GW Solar Project

SJVN's proposal to install overhead transmission lines for its 1,000 MW solar power project in Bikaner, Rajasthan, has been granted by the Ministry of Power. On November 15, 2022, SJVN published a notice for the transmission programme in regional newspapers and the Weekly Gazette of India, requesting feedback or objections on the suggested transmission path within 60 days of the publication date.

SJVN then declared that Juniper Green Cosmic only submitted one objection, which was eventually withdrawn. The approval from the Ministry of Power is valid for 25 years, and SJVN must get permission from the authorities before building the planned lines. SJVN must abide by the relevant commission's rules for transmission, operation & maintenance, and open access.

The villages of Bandarewala, Deensar, Barala, Bhanipura, Sarah Barola, Gol Pratap Singh, Kawni, Mehrasar, Jaimalsar, Nokha Daiya, and Randhisar in the Bikaner district will be crossed by the overhead lines for the transmission programme. The applicant will only operate the lines with the electrical inspector or chief electrical inspector of the central government's approval.

At the time of the electrical inspection, the company must present the necessary approvals to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), having already obtained them from agencies like civil aviation and defence. SJVN had won the contract from the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) for the development of a 1 GW grid-connected solar power project under the CPSU Phase-II (Tranche-III) programme under viability gap funding.

A loan of 44.45 billion rupees ($537.14 million) was approved by IREDA in December 2017 for SJVN Green Energy, an SJVN subsidiary, to develop the project near Bikaner. SJVN must follow the Supreme Court's instructions regarding the undergrounding of the overhead transmission lines or the installation of bird diverters if the route of the overhead transmission lines crosses the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) potential area shown on the map, which is a part of the order of the Supreme Court dated April 19, 2021.