Tripura: Union Minister Shripad Naik inaugurates 15-kW rooftop solar plant in Gomati

Agartala: Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Naik on Friday inaugurated a 15-kilowatt grid-connected rooftop solar power plant at the office of the District Magistrate in Gomati district’s Udaipur town, marking the launch of a state-wide initiative in Tripura to solarise administrative buildings.

The project is being implemented by the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) under the “Solar Sankalp” initiative, in line with guidelines from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Officials said rooftop solar plants with a combined capacity of 304 kilowatts will be installed across eight district magistrate offices in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 2.43 crore.

Apart from the 15-kilowatt installation in Gomati, proposed capacities include 49 kilowatts in Sepahijala, 35 kilowatts in South Tripura, 90 kilowatts in North Tripura, 15 kilowatts in Khowai, 22 kilowatts in Unakoti, 25 kilowatts in Dhalai, and 53 kilowatts in West Tripura district.

Gomati is the first district where the project has been commissioned, TSECL sources said.

Speaking at the inauguration, Naik said integrating government offices into the solar energy network would help reduce conventional power consumption and promote renewable energy adoption in public infrastructure.

State Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath, who was present at the programme, said the initiative would reduce recurring electricity expenditure of government offices and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Gomati District Magistrate Rinku Lather, Additional General Manager of TSECL (Gomati) Nandita Das, and Sanjeeb Nandy Majumdar, the state’s nodal officer for the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, were among those present.

Officials said the grid-connected rooftop systems would meet a portion of the offices’ daytime electricity demand, with surplus power fed into the grid under net metering provisions.