Lokesh to inaugurate 600 MW SAEL Solar project in Kadapa

Executed at a cost of nearly ₹3,000 crore, the project is among the largest in Rayalaseema and was commissioned in a record 11 months

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh will achieve yet another milestone in major clean energy on May 22 when IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh inaugurates SAEL Industries' 600 MW utility-scale solar power project in Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district.

Executed at a cost of nearly ₹3,000 crore, the project is among the largest in Rayalaseema and was commissioned in a record 11 months, underscoring what the state government calls its capacity to fast-track renewable infrastructure.

The integrated facility comprises two 300 MW plants ' SAEL Solar MHP1 and SAEL Solar MHP2 ' developed by SAEL Solar MHP1 Private Limited and SAEL Solar MHP2 Private Limited. According to an official release, MHP1 achieved commercial operation on January 30, 2026, and MHP2 on March 13, 2026. Minister Lokesh is scheduled to formally dedicate both plants to the state on Thursday.

Spread over 2,400 acres, the project deploys more than 12 lakh TOPCon bifacial solar modules. Most of the modules were assembled at SAEL's in-house manufacturing facilities in Punjab and Rajasthan, aligning with the company's integrated manufacturing-to-generation model. Power from the facility will be evacuated to the national grid under a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Solar Energy Corporation of India.

Officials said the twin plants will help avoid nearly 11 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to taking over 2.3 lakh cars off the road each year. The project is also designed to deliver long-term rural economic gains. During the 11-month construction phase, it engaged more than 1,000 workers directly and indirectly, with close to 80 per cent hired from local communities. Farmers in the region have been brought into structured land-lease arrangements extending up to 25 years, creating a steady non-agricultural income stream.

SAEL executed the project under its end-to-end EPC and operations-and-maintenance framework. The Andhra Pradesh government and district authorities facilitated land aggregation, statutory approvals, and grid connectivity to compress the execution timeline. 'Projects like SAEL Solar MHP1 and MHP2 show Andhra Pradesh's ability to deliver world-scale clean energy assets at speed,' Minister Lokesh said. 'We are building an ecosystem where policy clarity meets industrial execution.'

The Kadapa inauguration is part of a broader investment by SAEL in the state. The company is committing over ₹6,000 crore to develop 1,200 MW of solar capacity in Andhra Pradesh. In April 2026, SAEL commissioned two 300 MW plants in Kurnool, taking its pan-India installed renewable portfolio beyond 2.5 GW, according to data from SolarQuarter. The firm has emerged as one of the most active private developers in the country over the past year.

The projects are being delivered under Andhra Pradesh's Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024, notified in October 2024. The policy targets ₹10 lakh crore in investments by 2029 across solar, wind, pumped storage, battery storage, green hydrogen, transmission, and equipment manufacturing. State officials said the Kadapa commissioning demonstrates early momentum under the policy and strengthens Andhra Pradesh's pitch as an emerging clean energy and manufacturing hub.

Lokesh is likely to outline the roadmap for positioning Andhra Pradesh as a renewable energy anchor for South India, with emphasis on faster clearances, integrated land banks, and investor-friendly governance. The 600 MW Kadapa project adds significant capacity to Rayalaseema, a region with high solar irradiation but historically lower industrial investment.