UP Solar Expressway Stalls After No Investor Interest; Rs 1800 Cr Plan Put On Hold

The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) was tasked with executing the Rs 1,800-crore project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. UPEIDA commissioned a study from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), which confirmed the feasibility of installing 450-500 MW of solar plants along both sides of the expressway. The state government also approved the detailed project report, and a proposed tariff of Rs 4-4.50 per unit was drafted.

However, despite inviting tenders twice, UPEIDA has failed to attract bidders. Companies maintain they will participate only if the government agrees to purchase all the generated power. Without this assurance, the project has been shelved for now.

The Bundelkhand Expressway passes through seven districts, Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah, and the solar project was expected to supply electricity to one lakh households in these regions. The expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 16, 2022.