BANGALORE: Tata Power Solar today said it has won a contract from NTPC for a 50 MW solar photovoltaic- based project at Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

The facility is expected to start in March 2014 and generate 78.66 million units (kWh) each year for the MP Power Trading Company Ltd in a state that has a peak power deficit of 9.6 per cent, Tata Power Solar said in a statement.

"This project brings together two of our core strengths in solar -- market leading solar module manufacturing and competitive, high-quality engineering, procurement and construction capability," Tata Power Solar CEO Ajay Goel said.

NTPC is adding non-conventional sources of energy to its generation mix to ensure long-term competitiveness and mitigate fuel risk, the statement quoted A K Jha, Director Technical of NTPC, as saying.

State-owned NTPC, the country's largest power utility, has an installed capacity exceeding 41 gigawatts, using mostly coal and gas. Its solar projects include 10 MW under operation and 35 MW under construction.

Tata Power Solar, India's oldest solar company, operates a 125 MW solar module manufacturing unit in Bangalore and it has also designed and built more than 70 MW of grid-connected projects.

The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power, is headquartered in Bangalore.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com