In a boost to India's clean energy ambitions, the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, has inaugurated on the 435-megawatt Gorbea Solar Power Project in Rajasthan. The sprawling facility is capable of powering nearly 1.28 lakh homes and cutting over 7 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Built by Zelestra India over 1,250 acres, the Gorbea project marks another milestone in Rajasthan’s fast-expanding green energy portfolio. With its commissioning, the desert state now sources 70% of its installed power capacity from renewable sources — among the highest in the country — with more than 35.4 gigawatts installed, including 29.5 GW of solar and 5.2 GW of wind.
Backed by a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), the plant will generate 755 gigawatt hours of clean electricity every year. It also showcases India’s growing emphasis on deploying high-efficiency technologies, featuring advanced solar panels and over 1,300 robotic cleaning units to maintain output in arid conditions.
The project, completed in under eight months, employed more than 700 local workers. The on-site substation and a 6.5-kilometre transmission line were finished in just five months — a timeline officials described as “aggressive yet essential” to meet national renewable energy targets.
India is the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases but has committed to installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Projects like Gorbea are central to this ambition as the country attempts to balance its development goals with climate imperatives.
