Solar Park in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh | Photo credit: SUBRAMANYAM U
Andhra Pradesh is home to two major solar parks: the Kurnool park has at least five blocks, while the one in Ananthapuram has two blocks.
Recently, the National Transmission Commission (NCT) discussed, among other things, the transmission infrastructure for these parks. Even as the committee recommended taking up a project worth ₹7,627 crore for evacuation of renewable energy from Kurnool-V, it also directed ‘the Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd (CTUIL) — the government body responsible for planning and coordination of transmission infrastructure –‘ to entertain applicants applying for connectivity at Kurnool-V for switching to Kurnool-III or Kurnool-IV with BESS for non-solar hours’.
Similarly, CTUIL has been asked to offer applicants seeking connectivity at Ananthapuram-III – which is a polar station rather than a block within the solar park – the option of switching to Ananthapuram-I and Ananthapuram-II, with BESS located next to each other.
The NCT’s recommendation is in line with an observation made by the Ministry of Power, the parent body of the commission, in September that “to ensure optimal utilization of the transmission lines, RE power from Kurnool-V REZ Phase-I (4.5 GW) and from Ananthapuram-III REZ Phase-I (4.5 GW) may be evacuated through the already identified transmission system in Kurnool area and Ananthapuram area respectively, during non-solar hours with implementation of co-located BESS”.
A shift from pure solar projects to solar BESS configurations will have cost implications, and therefore an impact on rates. However, it could also speed up project implementation as developers would not have to wait for new evacuation infrastructure to be built specifically for Kurnool-V.
More like this
Published on January 5, 2026
#Developers #told #add #BESS #switch #nonsolar #hours