Sambalpur: A solar power plant with a capacity to generate 40-megawatt (MW) power will be installed at the Hirakud Dam Reservoir in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, an official said on Friday.
It will be set up by the Solar Energy Corporation of India, which is under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Floating panels, mounted on a structure that floats on a waterbody, will be installed to generate 40 MW power, the official said.
Around Rs 200 crore will be spent to set up the plant, said Ananda Chandra Sahu, chief engineer of the Upper Mahanadi basin. Land acquisition will not be required and only 1 sq km area in the reservoir will be used for the purpose.
The floating panels will also cover the water and help in reducing the evaporation loss of the reservoir, he added.
Hydro-power is also generated from the water of the multipurpose Hirakud Dam project, inaugurated in 1956, set up for flood control, irrigation, and power generation.
