OREANDA-NEWS. Reliance Power announced that its 100 MW Solar CSP Project at Jaisalmer District, Rajasthan, has been successfully synchronized with the Grid and power generation has commenced. The project is the world's largest CSP project based on CLFR technology. The 100 MW CSP plant is being built at a cost of Rs. 2,100 Crore, adjacent to the 40 MW solar photovoltaic project commissioned by the Company last year. The project has 25% reserve margin to meet 25 year PPA obligations.

Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Power, was awarded the CSP project in December 2010, based on international competitive bidding conducted by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (a subsidiary of NTPC Ltd.) under the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission of Government of India.

The project is the largest investment undertaken by any private sector entity in CSP Technology in India. The project is financed through Debt from multilateral agencies like Asian Development Bank (ADB), Export Import Bank of the United States, Financerings Maatschappu Voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V. (FMO), Netherlands and Axis Bank.

The innovative CFLR Technology for the project is provided by Areva Solar the US subsidiary of the AREVA SA of France, which is simple in design, having minimal environmental spill, lesser land requirement and is more efficient than other solar thermal technologies available.

With this project, Reliance Power's generation capacity has increased to 5,285 MW which includes 5,100 MW of thermal capacity and 185 MW of renewable energy based capacity.

Reliance Power Limited, a part of the Reliance Group, is India's leading private sector power generation company. The company has the largest portfolio of power projects in the private sector based on coal, gas, hydro and renewable energy, with an operating portfolio of 5,285 megawatts. The company also has the largest captive coal reserves in the private sector, estimated at two billion tonnes. Besides, the company is developing three coal mines in Indonesia and is also developing coal bed methane blocks.