Neemuch (MP), Jun 29 (PTI) Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday inaugurated two solar power projects in Madhya Pradesh with a total capacity of 950 MW, where he said the Neemuch Solar Park's tariff of Rs 2.14 per unit is possibly the lowest for a 'vanilla solar' project in the world.

In the energy sector, the term 'vanilla solar' is commonly used to describe solar power projects that generate electricity solely through solar panels and do not include additional features like battery storage.

Joshi inaugurated the renewable energy projects -- a 500 MW solar park in Neemuch and a 450 MW solar park in Shajapur -- at a grand ceremony. State Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was also present on the occasion.

Officials said that the electricity generated at the Neemuch Solar Park, which has three units spread over 2,500 acres, has a tariff of Rs 2.14, Rs 2.149, and Rs 2.15 per unit.

They said that the project will supply clean electricity to Indian Railways and the state grid.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Joshi, who is Minister for New and Renewable Energy, said, "Excellent work has been done at the Neemuch Solar Park. As far as I know, Rs 2.14 per unit is probably the lowest tariff for electricity generated from a vanilla solar project, not just in the country, but in the world." He praised the state government's efforts in the field of renewable energy and said that Madhya Pradesh is becoming a "green energy powerhouse".

Joshi said that of the state's total installed power generation capacity of 38 GW, approximately 12 GW is based on renewable energy sources.

He said that, as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expectations, renewable energy should account for at least 50 percent of the state's total installed power generation capacity.

Joshi said that according to a central government studies, the state is capable of producing around 55 gigawatts of wind energy.

He said that currently, 3.7 gigawatts of wind energy capacity is installed in the state, and work is underway on projects with a capacity of 1.3 gigawatts.

"If the state's wind energy production is increased to at least 10 gigawatts by setting a target for the next two years, the cost of electricity will be significantly reduced. This will benefit the state's farmers and industries and accelerate new industrial investment," Joshi said.

The Union minister stressed that every government building in the state should have a solar power project.

At the event, Joshi and CM Yadav also performed the groundbreaking ceremony and inauguration of 38 industrial projects with a proposed investment of approximately Rs 1,554 crore.

Officials said these projects will create more than 3,200 direct jobs. PTI HWP MAS NP