MADURAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated a solar energy unit, TP Solar of the Tata Group, at Gangaikondan SIPCOT facility in Tirunelveli district on Thursday and said such initiatives are part of the State government’s target of trillion dollar economy by 2030.
One of India’s largest cell and module manufacturing companies, TP Solar is designed to produce 4.3 GW solar cells and modules in the manufacturing plant, established with an investment of Rs 3,800 crore. The unit is generating job opportunities for over 4,000.
The factory is expected to boost the State’s potential in the already booming manufacturing sector, a release issued by the State government said. After May 2021, the government has attracted projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore, providing 31 lakh jobs, the statement read.
The Tata Power Company Limited CEO Praveer Sinha said the Gangaikondan unit is the single largest solar plant in the nation, set up in a record time of two years with the active support and cooperation of the State government. He underscored the uniqueness of the plant as 80 per cent of employees are women, mostly benefiting the local job force. The CEO added that the plant would go for an expansion with many solar and wind projects as per the MoU signed.
Tata Sons Private Limited Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran thanked the State government, saying, we are indebted. He added that the solar plant in Gangaikondan would have a huge expansion in the coming days to double the capacity of more than 8GW.
Chief Minister MK Stalin also laid the foundation stone for Vikram Solar’s 3 GW solar cell and 6 GW module manufacturing plant to be set up at a cost of Rs 2,574 crore at Gangaikondan SIPCOT.
Vikram Solar’s CEO, Gyanesh Chaudhary, said the State’s progressive policies and strong infrastructure have made it a prime investment hub. He hailed Tamil Nadu as the top State for renewable energy, with a total capacity of 23,000 MW, including 10,000 MW of solar energy.