Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu yesterday said the state Government has set a target to set up 500 MW of solar power projects within next two years as part of its commitment towards making Himachal self-reliant in the energy sector.
“The Himachal Pradesh Government has set a target to meet more than 90 per cent of its energy requirement through renewable energy sources and to transform Himachal Pradesh into a Green Energy State by March 2026,” said Chief Minister, here today.
At present, the annual energy consumption of the state is nearly around 13,000 million units, he added.
Sukhu said the state has witnessed a massive shift towards harnessing solar energy due to the green initiatives of the state government.
“Under the ‘Green Panchayat Programme’, gram panchayats have been placed at the centre of this initiative under which 500 kw ground-mounted solar power projects will be installed in all panchayats across the state”, he said.
He said in the first phase, approval has been granted for setting up 500 kw solar power plants in 24 gram panchayats. Work has already started in 16 such panchayats. Under this programme, a total solar power generation target of 150 MW has been set.
The Chief Minister stated that Pekhubela solar power project in Una district commenced commercial operations on April 15, 2024, and has so far generated 79.03 million units of net electricity and earned revenue amounting to Rs 22.91 crore.
Power generation from the Aghlour solar power project in Una district started on May 21, 2025 and has so far produced 5.89 million units of net electricity. The Bhanjal Solar Power Project in Una district began commercial operations on November 30, 2024 and has generated 8.57 million units of net electricity, earning revenue of Rs 3.10 crore to date.
Sukhu said currently, three solar power projects with a combined capacity of 31 MW are in the execution stage, while four solar power projects with a total capacity of 41 MW are at the tendering stage.
Further, under the ‘first come, first served’ policy, solar power projects ranging from 250 kw to 5 MW are being allotted. Electricity generated from these projects will be purchased by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL).
He said so far, 547 investors have been allotted ground-mounted solar power projects with a total capacity of 595.97 MW. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have already been signed for projects with a capacity of 403.09 MW.
“Through these initiatives, the state government is steadily moving towards its vision of making Himachal Pradesh a leading Green Energy State in the country by 2026”, reiterated the Chief Minister.