Foundation stone laid for NTPC REL's 630 MW Barethi solar power project in Madhya Pradesh

Joining the event through video conferencing, Singh said that no development is possible without electricity. The Minister said that the work done in the power sector by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been historic, with power capacity having almost doubled in the last 10 years.

"The peak demand too has almost doubled, but we have been able to meet this demand due to the increase in power capacity. We have set up a transmission network which can transfer electricity from one part of the country to another and we are continuing to add transmission capacity," he said.

The Power Minister said that the government has connected every village with electricity.

"The availability of power has gone up to more than 22 hours in rural areas and to more than 23 hours in urban areas. We have made 24/7 power as a right of the people. We have added around 3,000 substations, and upgraded about 4,000 substations," he said.

The Minister also spoke of the need to keep adding further power capacity in line with the growing power demand.

"Ours is the fastest-growing large economy in the world and our power demand too is growing fast. We need to add more power capacity to meet the growing demand. The Barethi solar power project is very important since it is 630 MW and further it is clean energy. NTPC is among the world's biggest power companies. Now, NTPC is setting up renewable energy plants too, from only thermal plants earlier," he said.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Virendra said that the Barethi Solar Power Project will help power the development of the region. He said that besides setting up solar power plants, the government is also promoting the use of solar power in agriculture.

The Minister said that Chhatarpur district is witnessing progress, as one of the Aspirational Districts identified for accelerated development by the Government of India. He said that a Vande Bharat train too is going to pass through the region, which would be flagged off on March 12, 2024. He recalled also many other development programmes that have been initiated in the Bundelkhand region.

According to the statement from the Ministry of Power, located at Barethi Renewable Energy Park in Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh, the 630 MW solar project entails an investment of Rs 3,200 crores and would be sufficient to light more than 3 lakh households upon completion. It is being developed under Mode-8 of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks scheme.

Commissioning of this project will not only supply green power to the grid but will also ensure affordable power to the people. Meanwhile, the construction of the project is helping in the creation of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the region, it added. (ANI)