SunEdison, Inc inaugurated the Dammakhedi 50-megawatt (MW) DC solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Dammakhedi is the first solar power plant in the state to use single axis tracker technology to maximise energy production. The project created more than one thousand jobs during construction, and was completed two months ahead of schedule.

"As India's economy continues to grow, it will need access to clean, cost effective, and reliable electricity," stated Pashupathy Gopalan, SunEdison Asia-Pacific president. "Solar generated electricity is the ideal solution. Solar is more cost effective than energy generated from fossil fuels in India, solar power plants can be built quickly and additional capacity can be easily added later on.

The Dammakhedi plant uses the latest solar technologies to maximise energy production, and is a case study in SunEdison's ability to deliver projects quickly and efficiently. We look forward to future projects in the region as we bring affordable and reliable solar electricity to the people of India."

Dammakhedi is connected to the Madhya Pradesh state grid, delivering power to the central government's Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). It is among the first projects to be commissioned under the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), an ecologically sustainable growth initiative by the State and National Governments of India.

Madhya Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department (MPNRED) is the state nodal agency assigned to oversee the project on a local level, and Sterling and Wilson and Larson and Toubro assisted as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors for the project. The plant was interconnected in December 2014.

Manu Srivastava, IAS, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, New and Renewable Energy Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh, and Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam organisation, said, "The Madhya Pradesh government and the New and Renewable Energy Department have been proactive in promoting renewable energy in the state.

We are happy with the outcome of this joint effort between the government of Madhya Pradesh and SunEdison. Our government, led by the Honourable Chief Minister Shivraj Singhji Chouhan, will continue to promote investments in the renewable energy space, which will contribute substantially to the Prime Minister's ambitious plans to develop 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2022."

Operation and maintenance of the solar power plant will be performed by SunEdison Services, which provides global 24/7 asset management, monitoring and reporting services.

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