Summary:
Four companies Renew Solar Power (250MW), Acme Solar Holdings (250MW), Tata Power Renewable Energy (150MW) and Ajure Power India (150MW) quoted Rs2.72 per unit. The discom had floated tenders for purchasing 1,020MW solar power from private producers. The cheapest solar power now available in the market is Rs2.44 per unit.The discom’s average power purchase cost approved by Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for 2017-18 is Rs4.01 per unit.About 10-12 years ago, cost of solar power was as high as Rs18 per unit and MSEDCL was reluctant to buy it. The tenders were floated under Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana.In May, MSEDCL had tied up for cheap solar power. The company had got excellent response to tenders for purchase of 1,000MW from big solar plants in May.MSEDCL managing director Sanjeev Kumar said that the remaining 713MW have been included in the 1,400MW..