Tata Power commissions NHPC's 300 MW Rajasthan solar project

The Tata Power Company Limited commissioned NHPC Limited's 300 MW AC solar project at Karnisar Bhatiyan in Bikaner, Rajasthan, through its renewable-energy subsidiary, with the plant expected to generate about 17,230 million units of green electricity over its operating life. The project supplies its entire output to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.

What did Tata Power commission for NHPC in Rajasthan?

Tata Power commissioned NHPC's 450 MWp DC and 300 MW AC domestic-content-requirement-compliant solar power project as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor. The project is located at Karnisar Bhatiyan in Bikaner district, Rajasthan, and was executed by Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited, or TPREL, a subsidiary of Tata Power.

The commissioning was reported in November 2025 after a construction period of about two and a half years. Tata Power said the project used DCR-compliant solar cells and modules, a requirement intended to support domestic manufacturing in specified government-backed solar programmes. Reports on the project said around 7.75 lakh solar panels were installed across the desert site.

NHPC owns the plant, while TPREL developed and delivered it under the EPC contract. This distinction is important for investors because the asset ownership and electricity-sale economics sit with NHPC, whereas Tata Power's role in this project is linked to project execution and its renewable engineering capabilities.

Where will the electricity from the 300 MW plant be supplied?

The entire output from the NHPC solar plant will be supplied to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, or PSPCL. Tata Power said the project is expected to generate approximately 17,230 million units of green electricity during its operating life, linking a Rajasthan-based generation asset with a Punjab power buyer.

The project uses high-efficiency modules manufactured by TP Solar Limited at Tirunelveli. Tata Power cited this supply arrangement as part of its domestic manufacturing approach. The article data does not specify the project tariff, the power-purchase agreement duration, or the annual generation estimate, so those figures cannot be inferred from the lifetime-generation projection.

The plant is one of several large DCR-based projects associated with Tata Power's renewable execution business in Rajasthan. The company also said it was providing DCR-compliant cells and modules for SJVN Limited's 1 GW project and NLC India Limited's 300 MW project, both described as poised for commissioning at the time of the announcement.

How does the NHPC project fit Tata Power's solar portfolio?

The NHPC project adds to Tata Power's record of delivering 300 MW-scale solar facilities, although each project has different owners, locations and commercial structures. Tata Power previously commissioned a 300 MW solar plant at Dholera in Gujarat through TPREL. That project was described as India's largest single-axis solar tracker system and was expected to generate 774 million units annually.

The Dholera project involved 873,012 monocrystalline photovoltaic modules and covered 1,320 acres across six plots. The NHPC project, by comparison, is in Bikaner's desert terrain and has a dedicated supply arrangement with PSPCL. These differences show why capacity alone does not establish that two projects have identical generation profiles, land requirements or offtake arrangements.

Tata Power Solar Systems Limited, another wholly owned subsidiary, had earlier received a letter of award worth ₹1,755 crore for a separate 300 MW DCR-based EPC project for NLC India at Barsingar in Bikaner. That project was expected to generate more than 750 million units and reduce 6 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, with three years of operation and maintenance after commercial operation declaration.

Why does the project matter for Tata Power and the solar industry?

The commissioning provides a completed EPC reference for Tata Power in utility-scale, DCR-compliant solar development. For Tata Power, the project demonstrates execution in a large solar installation where the customer owns the asset, rather than adding a generation asset directly to Tata Power's own portfolio.

For NHPC and PSPCL, the development establishes a 300 MW AC solar supply source under the disclosed arrangement. For the wider industry, the use of DCR cells and modules and modules made by TP Solar connects utility-scale project delivery with the domestic solar manufacturing chain. The available information does not disclose the financial contribution of this specific EPC contract to Tata Power's revenue or profit.

The announcement also places the project within a broader pipeline of Rajasthan solar construction. SJVN's 1 GW project and NLC India's 300 MW project were identified by Tata Power as projects approaching commissioning. Their completion status, operating dates and financial terms were not provided in the source material.

Conclusion

Tata Power's completion of NHPC's 300 MW AC solar facility in Bikaner marks the delivery of a large DCR-compliant EPC project with electricity contracted entirely to PSPCL. The project combines a 450 MWp DC installation, domestic-content-compliant equipment and an estimated 17,230 million units of lifetime green generation.

Investors can watch for commissioning updates on the 1 GW SJVN project and the 300 MW NLC India project in Rajasthan, both of which Tata Power said were poised for commissioning. Further disclosures on contract economics, project milestones and the financial effect on Tata Power's renewable business would provide a clearer measure of the execution programme's impact.