Shimla, Dec 22 (NationPress) With an ambitious goal to achieve self-sufficiency in the energy sector, the Himachal Pradesh government has outlined a plan to fulfill over 90% of its energy needs through renewable energy sources, aiming to convert the state into a Green Energy State by March 2026, as stated by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday.

The state's current annual energy consumption stands at approximately 13,000 million units.

He highlighted a significant movement towards utilizing solar energy, bolstered by green initiatives, with a target to establish 500 MW of solar power projects within the next two years.

As part of the Green Panchayat Programme, gram panchayats are central to this initiative, which includes the installation of 500 kW ground-mounted solar power projects across all panchayats.

Initially, approval has been granted for 500 kW solar power plants in 24 gram panchayats, with work already underway in 16 of these. The overall solar power generation target under this program is set at 150 MW.

The Pekhubela Solar Power Project in the Una district commenced commercial operations on April 15, 2024, generating 79.03 million units of net electricity and yielding revenue of Rs 22.91 crore.

Generation from the Aghlour Solar Power Project in Una district began on May 21, producing 5.89 million units of net electricity. The Bhanjal Solar Power Project in the same district started operations on November 30, 2024, generating 8.57 million units of net electricity, earning revenue of Rs 3.10 crore to date.

Currently, three solar power projects with a total capacity of 31 MW are under execution, while four solar power projects totaling 41 MW are in the tendering phase. Additionally, a 200 MW solar power plant will be developed on barren land in the Damtal region of Kangra district. Solar off-grid systems have also been deployed in 148 households in remote and tribal villages, including Mud, Langza, Hikkim, and Kaumik in Spiti.

Moreover, under the First Come, First Served policy, solar power projects ranging from 250 kW to 5 MW are being allocated. The electricity generated from these initiatives will be purchased by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL). To date, 547 investors have received allocations for ground-mounted solar power projects totaling 595.97 MW. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have been signed for projects with a combined capacity of 403.09 MW.

Additionally, HIMURJA has allocated solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 728.4 MW to the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd, with 150.13 MW of rooftop-mounted solar projects already allocated.