Nagpur: In a significant step toward enhancing agricultural energy supply, the first solar park under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0 (MSKVY 2.0) has commenced operations. On Thursday, September 5, 2024, the 3 MW solar park was activated in Dhondalgaon village, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, marking the beginning of the state’s ambitious solar energy initiative.

This solar park, developed on 13 acres of public land, will provide daytime power to 1,753 farmers, enhancing their irrigation capabilities. The project, situated approximately 3 km from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) substation, was awarded to the concerned company on March 7, 2024, and the power purchase agreement was signed on May 17, 2024. Remarkably, the project was developed and activated within just four and a half months.

Under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Devendra Fadnavis, MSKVY 2.0 aims to deliver reliable daytime power to farmers, making it the largest distributed renewable energy project globally. The solar park at Dhondalgaon is the first of many such projects, with a total capacity of 9,200 MW planned by December 2025. This initiative is expected to significantly benefit farmers in Dhondalgaon, Nalegaon, Amanatpurwadi, and Sanjapurwadi.

Following Fadnavis’ declaration of ‘Mission 2025’ on June 30, 2022, to solarize at least 30 percent of agricultural feeders, the implementation of MSKVY 2.0 has been accelerated. The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has recently approved the expansion of MSKVY 2.0, increasing its capacity to 16,000 MW to provide daytime power to 100 percent of agricultural pumps.