Telangana North Discom Crosses 100 MW Solar Under PM-KUSUM, Eyes 300 MW in 3-4 Months

The Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGNPDCL) said on Thursday that its solar power capacity under the PM-KUSUM-A scheme has crossed 100 MW across its 18 circles, a milestone the company described as a significant expansion of its renewable energy portfolio.

In a statement, Chairman and Managing Director Karnati Varun Reddy said the achievement reflected the company's focus on increasing renewable energy capacity and promoting a sustainable power system. He appreciated the coordinated efforts of officials, engineers and field staff in implementing projects across all 18 circles, and directed them to maintain the momentum and accelerate work on additional solar capacity.

Under Component A of the PM-KUSUM scheme — the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan, launched in 2019 — farmers can set up solar power plants on their land and supply surplus electricity to the grid. The initiative is designed to create additional income opportunities for farmers, increase the availability of renewable power at the local level and reduce dependence on conventional sources of electricity, Mr. Varun Reddy said.

The company said another 200 MW of solar capacity is at various stages of development, taking its total planned capacity under the programme to about 300 MW. TGNPDCL is targeting integration of the entire 300 MW with the grid within the next three to four months, the CMD said. He said the expansion would give farmers additional income opportunities while strengthening the company's renewable energy portfolio.

TGNPDCL is one of the two distribution companies in Telangana and serves the northern districts of the State. Distribution companies are the intermediaries that buy electricity and supply it to homes, farms and businesses, and their renewable energy purchases count towards the State's obligations under India's clean energy goals. India has set a target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel generation capacity by 2030.

Solar plants set up under PM-KUSUM-A are typically small, decentralised units connected to local substations. Because they are spread across a circle's network rather than concentrated at a single location, the pace of commissioning depends on land agreements, substation readiness and grid connectivity at each site, while proximity to the point of use can reduce transmission losses and improve daytime supply on agricultural feeders.

The statement did not provide a circle-wise break-up of the 100 MW achieved, the number of farmers who have commissioned plants so far, or the tariff at which power is being purchased. The capacity figures and the three-to-four-month timeline are the company's own projections, and details such as the number of beneficiaries and payments made to participating farmers would require confirmation from TGNPDCL.

For participating farmers, timely payment for the power supplied is central to the scheme's design, since the arrangement is meant to be a dependable income stream rather than an occasional one. How quickly TGNPDCL moves from 100 MW to its 300 MW target will be watched as an indicator of how fast decentralised solar can be scaled in a State where agricultural demand shapes much of the power load.