PM Modi Launches India’s Largest 16,000 MW Solar Power Initiative in Maharashtra |

Nagpur: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated several projects for Maharashtra during his visit to Poharadevi in Washim district. These include the first five solar parks of the world’s largest decentralised 16,000MW solar power generation project aimed at providing daytime power supply to farmers for irrigation. The Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0 (MSKVY 2.0) is being implemented in the state on the lines of Central govt’s PM Kusum Yojana.
Development of 9,200MW solar power projects is currently underway and will be completed in phases by September 2025. Among these, PM Modi inaugurated the first five projects at Dhondalgaon (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Bamni Budruk (Nanded), Haroli (Kolhapur), Jalalabad (Akola), and Palshi Budruk (Buldhana) with a total capacity of 19MW on Saturday. On the occasion, Modi also transferred Rs 20.55 crore development fund to 411 gram panchayats which helped in developing solar projects.
Apart from this, tender process for development of 4,800MW solar power projects was completed, and work orders issued. All projects with a total capacity of 16,000MW will be completed by March 2026, and farmers will be supplied with electricity generated entirely from solar energy.
After state govt approved MSKVY 2.0 in April 2023, the state energy department and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) together made available 40,000 acres of public land, completed tender process for solar power generation, inked power purchase agreements, increased the capacity of power substations, and letters of award were given to developers for solar power generation of 9,200MW capacity in 11 months. In just six months after the LOA were issued to developers, five projects with a capacity of 19MW were commissioned, which were formally inaugurated by PM Modi on Saturday.
Under this scheme, a total investment of Rs 65,000 crore will be made by private investors, and 50,000 jobs will be created in rural areas. As electricity will be available at an average cost-effective rate of Rs 3 per unit instead of the current Rs 8.50 per unit, there will be a saving of Rs 10,000 crore per year in power purchase. As a result, the burden of an annual subsidy of Rs 4,500 crore on the state govt and a cross subsidy of Rs 13,000 crore on the industries will be removed.