The sun brings not just the light alone, but life and hope. Such is the spirit as we embark on a renewed journey of harnessing solar power today.
It is historic, as we lay foundations for the construction of the 17.38MW Sephu Solar PV Project (SSP) today- Bhutan’s first large-scale, utility non-hydro renewable energy project. Deviating from our sole focus on hydropower, the project aims to enhance domestic capability, embrace emerging technologies, reinforce climate change resilience, and secure long-term energy requirements.
The role of energy is crucial for Bhutan’s socio-economic development, however, the country encounters challenges in meeting our energy requirements. It becomes more dire in winters during which the country is compelled to import energy from India.
As a part of the long term game to reduce reliance on imports and address increasing demand for reliable power supply, we plan to develop a solar energy generation capacity of 500 MW by 2025 and 1,000 MW by 2030.
As for the Sephu initiative, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided funding for the SSP via grants and concessional loans. M/s Rigsar – PES Joint Venture has been awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction contract, and the project is expected to be completed by December 2024 at around USD 11 million.
Once complete, the project will generate around 25 million units of energy, which will be fed to the national grid. The Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) will take over the operation and maintenance. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources’ Department of Energy will oversee the pilot project’s execution and implementation.
This comes at a time when we have recently witnessed significant works by our own home-grown experts on solar roof top, which is commendable and motivating. The energy security is important for any economy, and besides this solar project, the country has also initiated series of small hydropower projects across the country.
This is just the beginning for many more solar projects to be built.
After the Salang Tendrel Ceremony for the Sephu Solar Project was over, Lyonpo also visited the dam site of the 118MW Nikachhu Hydropower Project located in Tangsibji, Trongsa.
