MoEFCC mandates 10 MW solar capacity at KSK Mahanadi thermal plant

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has amended the environmental clearance for KSK Mahanadi Power Company’s 3,600 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Janjgir-Champa district, Chhattisgarh, introducing a new requirement to install 10 MW of solar capacity as part of the project’s environmental compliance.

The condition requires the developer to set up 4 MW of rooftop solar capacity by the financial year 2028 and an additional 6 MW of floating solar capacity by 2029. The amendment was recommended by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for Thermal Power Projects during its 37th meeting.

The thermal power project consists of six units of 600 MW each located at Village Nariyara in Tehsil Akaltara. It received its original environmental clearance in October 2009.

Along with the solar installation requirement, the amendment revises several environmental compliance conditions. The earlier requirement for biennial studies on radioactivity and heavy metals has been replaced with annual third-party laboratory testing of coal and ash samples using accredited laboratories. Ash utilisation obligations have also been aligned with the Fly Ash Notification, 2021.

The greenbelt obligation has been revised to 277 hectares, accounting for 33% of the project’s 828-hectare plant area. In addition, the project developer is required to undertake plantation on 22.25 hectares outside the plant boundary within five years in consultation with the Chhattisgarh State Forest Development Corporation.

Currently, three units of the plant, Units 2, 3 and 4, hold Consent to Operate, which is valid until May 2026. The latest environmental clearance issued in October 2025 allows the commissioning of the partially constructed Units 1, 5 and 6.

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