India’s Renewable Energy Park: 5 Times Larger Than Paris, World’s Largest.

Khavda is the world’s largest renewable energy park, utilizing a combination of solar and wind energy. It is located in a barren area with highly saline soil, 80 kilometers away from the nearest village and with minimal vegetation. The area boasts the second best solar radiation in the country after Ladakh and has wind speeds five times that of the plains, making it an ideal location for a renewable energy park.

Adani Green Energy Ltd, the largest renewable energy company in India, plans to invest approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore to generate 30 megawatts of clean electricity in Khavda, Gujarat’s Kutch. The company has already commissioned 2,000 MW of capacity at Khavda and plans to add 4 GW in the current fiscal year, followed by 5 GW every year thereafter. The airstrip at Khavda is used to transport group executives from Mundra or Ahmedabad a few times a week, with the last guide post for airplanes being the air traffic controller in Bhuj, located 160 kilometers away.

The energy park’s outer flange is just one kilometer from the international border with Pakistan, and the buffer zone is patrolled by the Border Security Force. The airstrip was built in just 35 days, and the area presents various challenges, including heavy dust storms, lack of communication and transport infrastructure, and saline groundwater. Adani’s renewable energy plans are part of a broader goal to achieve 500 GW of electricity from non-fossil sources by 2030, with Khavda alone expected to generate 81 billion units of power.

The project will comprise 26 GW of solar and 4 GW of wind capacity, and the land is leased from the government for 40 years. Over the last five years, Adani Green conducted various studies and assessments before commencing the site’s development. Construction began in 2022 and included the development of infrastructure such as roads, drainage, desalination plants, and optical fiber cables for connectivity.