4 years on, Karnataka’s first floating solar park project in Tumakuru yet to see the light of day | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: The state’s first floating solar park in Tumakuru, 70km from Bengaluru, has failed to take off even four years after awarding the project. Planning to generate about 20 MW of renewable energy, the govt conceptualised the project at Bugudanahalli Lake, also known as Hebbaka Reservoir, costing about Rs 7.7 crore under the Centre’s Smart City project. Tumakuru Smart City Ltd (TSCL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the Smart City project, awarded the contract of building Karnataka’s first solar project to Bengaluru-based firm U-Solar Clean Energy in 2021. However, four years since the award of the project, not even one panel of the solar unit is afloat at the 640-acre Bugudanahalli Lake.A senior official from Tumakuru City Corporation told TOI, “The lake is filled with Hemavathi river water. The plan was to utilise 80 to 100 acres of water surface to set up floating solar panels, which would generate 20 MW of power. The entire project under PPP (public-private partnership) model was scheduled for commissioning in May 2023.”A team of experts and engineers even visited India’s first floating solar project at Ramagundam in Telangana, which generates about 20 MW, to study the project. “Subsequently, a feasibility study was commissioned, and the study revealed the floating solar park at Bugudanahalli may not be a feasible option as there is no availability of water for more than four months. When the study was conducted in 2022, the entire state was reeling under severe drought, and the lake had no water. The lake is usually filled to the brim twice a year by Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd (CNNL),” explained Ashwija BV, commissioner, Tumakuru City Corporation.Later, the project caught the chief secretary’s attention and efforts were made to revive it. However, engineers pointed out that the lake must have a water level of at least 50 per cent of its full capacity throughout the year. “As the lake water is also supplied for potable purposes, it was difficult to maintain 50 per cent storage capacity, and technically, it was not feasible to accommodate the floating solar park. So, the project has been put on hold for the time being,” explained Ashwija. When TOI contacted U-Solar Clean Energy, they were unavailable for comments. Inset Box:Tumakuru’s problem with Floating Solar ParkThis was not the first time that Tumakuru encountered problems in setting up Karnataka’s first floating solar parks. In fact, in 2010, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd (KREDL) collaborated with a French firm, Ciel et Terre (CeT), and Enzen Global Solutions Pvt Ltd (EGSPL), pioneering in setting up floating solar parks to commission a similar project. “Nittur Lake near Gubbi, spread over 1,046 acres, was chosen for the project aimed at generating 2 MW of power at a cost of Rs 13 crore. The initial plan was to utilise about 300 acres of water surface. The project had to be dropped as there were no bids despite repeated tenders,” explained an official from the energy department. The 20 MW project at Bugudanahalli Lake is the second consecutive floating solar park in Tumakuru to remain a non-starter.
