Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The 60-megawatt solar power plant of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) at Jalud in Khargone district is nearing completion and is expected to start operations by November.
The Rs 308-crore project, spread over 220 acres, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2022. It is being financed through green bonds, with the IMC raising Rs 244 crore via a public issue—making it the country’s first renewable energy unit to be funded in this manner.
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, reviewing the project’s progress in a meeting, said the plant was conceived to promote renewable energy while cutting down on electricity costs incurred by the Narmada water project.
“The plant is almost ready. Final charging tests are about to begin and transmission line issues will soon be resolved. From November, Indore will start receiving electricity from this facility,” Bhargav said.
The mayor said that the IMC currently spends around Rs 25 crore every month to pump Narmada river water from Jalud, nearly 80 km away, to Indore for domestic use. Once operational, the solar power project is expected to save the civic body nearly Rs 5 crore every month in energy costs.
Bhargav further underlined that IMC is the first urban local body in India to set up a renewable energy project with funds mobilised through green bonds, setting a new benchmark for civic-driven sustainability initiatives.
