Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji has said that the state will build six solar parks in the districts of Tiruvarur, Karur, Nagapattinam, Salem, Chengalpattu, and Kancheepuram.
Following a review meeting with senior electricity officials in the city on Wednesday (27 July), the Minister stated that collectors in their respective districts have already allotted 3,273 acres of land. Once the lands are taken over by the electricity officials, tenders for the project will be called.
In September, a programme to give 50,000 agricultural connections would get underway.
The review meeting was convened prior to the launch to go over the various power infrastructure required to offer the connections, he added.
Rajesh Lakhoni, chairperson and MD of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (TANGEDCO), also attended the meeting.
The Minister also discussed with officials the steps being taken to establish 316 substations to improve power supply throughout the state within two years. At least 233 substations have already been identified.
The electricity crew completed several tasks in one month, including pruning of 5,88,000 tree branches, maintenance of 2,070 substations, and replacement of 33,772 poles, according to The Hindu report.
Installing 1 MW of Solar power requires five acres of land, and the cost will be around Rs 3.5 crores.