India plans to start work on at least two gigawatts of solar farms in the year from April that would nearly double its current solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity.
The proposed new capacity would take the form of four so-called mega solar power projects capable of generating more than 500 megawatts each, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said in the capital, New Delhi.
Bloomberg newsagency reports Mr Chidambaram was making a speech announcing an interim budget that would provide funds until a new parliament is elected in national polls due by May.
A record 15 per cent of about 800 million voters will be eligible to cast ballots for the first time as the rising cost of electricity turns into an electoral issue.
With the solar farms just announced and already existing targets, India is planning a sixfold increase in solar capacity by 2017.
The aim is to reduce blackouts and diversify away from coal and gas-fired plants hamstrung by fuel shortages.
The country added 29GW of power-generation capacity between April to December, Mr Chidambaram said.
India’s peak power deficit dropped to four per cent in January, from 11.4 per cent a year earlier, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority.
