PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated UP's largest solar plant today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron have inaugurated Uttar Pradesh's biggest solar power plant in Mirzapur district's Chhanvey block. The prime minister and the French president pressed a button to energise the solar panels and dedicated the 100 MW facility to the people of the state.
Built at a cost of around Rs 500 crore by French firm ENGIE, the 100 MW solar plant has come up at Dadar Kalan village on the hilly terrain of the Vindhyas range. Some 1,18,600 solar panels have been set up in over 380 acres. The solar plant will generate 15.6 crore units of electricity annually, which is about 1.30 crore units per month. The electricity would be transmitted to Mirzapur's Jigna sub-station which belongs to the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd, officials said.
Prime Minister Modi, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath received the French president and his wife Brigitte Macron at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International airport Varanasi earlier today.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron co-hosted the first edition of the International Solar Alliance or ISA summit at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The spotlight was on India which is being viewed as a key player in tapping solar energy.
The International Solar Alliance is a treaty based international inter-governmental alliance of 121 solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The aim of the alliance is to promote solar energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels in sunshine-rich countries.
Prime Minister Modi also pledged to generate 175 gigawatts (GW) of electricity in India from renewable energy sources by 2022, out of which 100 GW would be generated from solar power.
23 heads of state, senior representatives of many countries, including deputy prime ministers and energy ministries attended the summit yesterday. Of the 121 potential countries, 61 have already joined the International Solar Alliance. 32 have ratified the Framework Agreement.
Earlier today, the French President was given a welcome reception at the airport in Prime Minister Modi's parliamentary constituency - Varanasi. From the airport, the two leaders took a helicopter to Mirzapur for the inauguration of the solar power plant.
From here the two leaders will proceed to Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul - a trade facilitation centre in Varanasi.
President Macron and Prime Minister Modi will also visit the Varanasi's Assi ghat, where the two leaders will take a boat ride on the ghats of the Ganga - from Assi to Dashashwamedh ghat. The two leaders will then have a private meeting over lunch, following which PM Modi will head to the Manduadih railway station, from where he will flag off the Varanasi-Patna intercity train.
The French President will leave back for New Delhi shortly after lunch. The prime minister will then address a public meeting before flying back to Delhi from the Varanasi airport.
(With inputs from PTI)