The solar project site in Anantapur, owned by ACME Group, is progressing rapidly. The state government granted the company approvals, and within four months, workers began breaking ground. For a project worth Rs 3,000 crore, that’s unusually fast.
So what exactly is being built here? It’s a 400 MW solar facility, but with a twist. They’re installing battery storage, too. This means the plant won’t just produce power when it’s sunny outside. The batteries will store excess energy and release it later when demand picks up, or clouds roll in.
The whole thing should be ready by 2026.
Minister Lokesh is Pretty Happy About It
Nara Lokesh, who handles the Education, IT and Electronics portfolios, shared his thoughts online. He seemed genuinely pleased with how things turned out.
“Speed matters,” he wrote. He went on to say that watching a project go from paperwork to actual construction in four months makes him proud of what Andhra Pradesh can pull off.
And honestly, he has a point. Infrastructure projects in India often get stuck in approval limbo for years. Four months is nothing.
Why Battery Storage Changes Everything
Here’s the thing about solar power. It works great during the day but becomes useless after sunset. This has been a long-standing criticism of solar power.
Adding batteries fixes that problem. The plant stores whatever extra power it generates during peak sunlight hours. Then it feeds that stored energy into the grid at night or during cloudy weather. The technical folks call this “firm and dispatchable” renewable energy.
This type of setup is highly beneficial for the state’s electricity grid. It means a more reliable power supply without depending on coal or gas plants to fill the gaps.
The State Wants to Attract More Projects Like This
Officials in Andhra Pradesh aren’t shy about their ambitions. They want the state to become a go-to destination for renewable energy investments.
They’ve been talking up their land availability, decent transmission infrastructure, and a clearance system that doesn’t make investors pull out their hair. While the success of this pitch remains uncertain, ACME’s project is undoubtedly a promising beginning.
The upcoming months will be challenging for the construction crews in Anantapur. If the same pace continues, the plant might even beat its 2026 deadline.
