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Fact Check: Is Rewa Solar Power Plant Asia's Largest Solar Power Project As Claimed By PM Modi?
Writer: Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
India, 12 July 2020 6:27 AM GMT
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The Logical Indian Fact check team investigates the Asia's Largest Solar Plant of 750 MW is at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10 inaugurated the 750 MW solar project in Rewa in Madhya Pradesh through video-conferencing. While inaugurating it, PM Modi claimed that the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh is the largest in Asia.
Many BJP leaders on social media tweeted about the Rewa project with the same claim that it is the largest in Asia.
Asia's largest solar power project inaugurated by PM @narendramodi Ji in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh will help in reducing carbon emission equivalent to approximately 15 lakh tonnes of CO2 per year - a major milestone in India's efforts towards boosting clean renewable energy. https://t.co/C1p2QHUJux
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) July 10, 2020
I thank PM @NarendraModi for dedicating Asia's largest '750 MW Rewa Solar Project' to the nation. This key futuristic project reinforces Modi govt's vision of #AatmaNirbharBharat & its commitment towards achieving the target of 175 GW installed renewable energy capacity by 2022. pic.twitter.com/WVGWhWH0fl
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 10, 2020
Claim:
Asia's Largest Solar Plant of 750 MW is at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
Fact Check:
The claim is false. Citing data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, The Indian Express reports that there are nine solar plants that are bigger than the one at Rewa.
The claim that Asia's largest solar power-plant is at Rewa has also been refuted by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief D.K. Shivakumar.
"The BJP-led Central government is claiming today that it has inaugurated Asia's Largest Solar Plant of 750MW at Rewa, MP. Now, what is the 2,000MW solar plant in Pavagada, Karnataka, which was built in just 3 years by @INCKarnataka govt and has been operational since 2018?," wrote Shivakumar.
BJP Central Govt is claiming today that it inaugurated Asia's Largest Solar Plant of 750 MW at Rewa, MP
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) July 10, 2020
What then is the 2000 MW Solar Plant in Pavagada, Karnataka which was built in just 3 years by @INCKarnataka govt and has been operational since 2018?pic.twitter.com/FbR0cLvYqw
Shivakumar was the state energy minister then and had led the Pavagada project.
Tagging a tweet by the Prime Minister's Office which quoted PM Modi as saying that Rewa has been identified with Narmada and white tigers, but now the name of Asia's largest solar power project has also been added to it, Rahul Gandhi wrote "Asatyagrahi" (which roughly translates to 'one who does not believe in the struggle for the truth)
असत्याग्रही! https://t.co/KL4aB5t149
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 11, 2020
Pavagada Park
Developed by the Karnataka Solar Park Development Corporation Limited (KSPDCL), the solar park was a joint venture between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Karnataka Renewable Energy (KREDL).
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) implemented 600MW of solar PV projects, SECI implemented 200MW, while KREDL implemented 1,250MW, of the total 2,050MW capacity.
The last 200MW capacity was commissioned in December 2019.
Further, on January 19, 2020, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had tweeted that the Pavagada was the "World's largest solar park."
"India Takes Lead in Clean Energy: World's largest solar park at Pavagada in Karnataka is now operational. Generating 2050MW of clean energy, the park is located on land leased from farmers, utilising the drought-hit area & adding to farmers' income," he had written.
India Takes Lead in Clean Energy: World's largest solar park at Pavagada in Karnataka is now operational.
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) January 19, 2020
Generating 2050 MW of clean energy, the park is located on land leased from farmers, utilising the drought-hit area & adding to farmers' income.https://t.co/ScWHPo3pJU pic.twitter.com/NOoIwrefAp
According to the Government of Karnataka website, the site area of the park is 13,000 acres (53 km2). As of June 11, 2020, the total Power Generation in the park is 600 MW (Operational Units), and 1,400 MW (Under Construction).
"The project has been executed within 2 years but it has not been without its setbacks. NTPC Ltd was initially supposed to buy 600MW of power and supply them to the state electricity supply companies at a reduced cost but backed out a month before the project was inaugurated. Auctions for developing 1,200 MW capacity also had to be postponed and legal complications have set back the development of another 860MW," reads the website.
Rewa Solar Power Plant
According to the Government of Madhya Pradesh website, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar is an operational solar park spread over an area of 1,590 acres (6.4 km2) in the Gurh tehsil of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh.
The project was commissioned with 750 MW capacity in July 2018.
Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), the implementing agency of the project, is a joint venture between the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikash Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
The plant consists of three solar power generating units that are located on a 500-hectare plot of land inside a 1,500-hectare solar park.
It is one of the largest single-site solar power plants in India, however, it is not the largest in Asia.
Solar Plants Larger Than Rewa In Asia
(1) Bhadla Solar Park: 2,250MW
The Bhadla Solar Park is located in Bhadla village, in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district, is claimed to be the largest solar power plant in the world. It has an area of 14,000 acres and has been installed with a capacity of nearly 2,250 megawatts (MW). It is fully operational.
(2) Shakti Sthala solar power project: 2,050 MW
The 2,050MW Shakti Sthala solar power project is in Pavagada taluk, Tumakuru district, Karnataka.
(3) Ultra Mega Solar Park: 1,000MW
The 1,000MW Ultra Mega Solar Park spanning an area of more than 5,932 acres is located in Orvakal, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh.
(4) Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, China: 850MW
(5) Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base, China: 1000MW
(6) Noor Solar Park, Abu Dabhi: 1117MW
(7) Tengger Desert Solar Park, China: 1500 MW
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
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