Mahindra & Mahindra is adopting a 58 MWp captive solar plant which is expected to generate about 100 million units of power annually beginning 2022.

The solar plant located in Parbhani district in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra will be built, owned, and operated for a period of 25 years by ReNew Sunlight Energy, which is a 100% subsidiary of ReNew Power.

The OEM says the project is a big step towards the protection and revival of natural ecosystems. The project will quadruple Mahindra’s renewable power share from 12% to 56% across Maharashtra including Mumbai, Nashik, Pune, Igatpuri and Nagpur.  With this project, it expects to make significant progress towards the achievement of carbon neutrality and Science Based Targets by mitigating 79,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, which is equivalent to nurturing 3.7 million trees every year or the provision of a year’s supply of power to about 20,650 Indian households.

Veejay Nakra, CEO – Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra stated, “At Mahindra, sustainability is a way of life and a key measure of our success. We are committed to achieving our target of carbon neutrality by 2040 and are well on way to reduce carbon emissions across our manufacturing operations. This new captive solar plant will further our sustainability journey and make a significant contribution in protecting the environment and contributing to government of India’s solar power target of achieving 175 GW by 2022”.

He added that Mahindra’s journey of mitigating carbon emissions across its manufacturing locations and using renewable energy started with its first project of 0.06 MW at the Igatpuri plant and now the captive solar plant is expected to reach a capacity of 78 MWp. 

This, the automaker says, is a significant step towards its goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and adopting Science Based Targets, which are aligned to India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).