A 50 MW solar plant is likely to be established in the heart of the Bakhira bird sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.

Bahkhira bird sanctuary is a Ramsar site touted as India’s largest natural floodplain wetland in Sant Kabir Nagar district

The move stems from a proposal by the district magistrate of Sant Kabir Nagar to the Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), recommending the installation of a ground-mounted or floating solar plant in the Bakhira lake area, which is an eco-sensitive zone and is being developed as an attractive tourist destination.

“We are exploring the possibility of setting up a 50 MW solar plant in the Bakhira lake area in Sant Kabir Nagar district under the UP government’s solar policy,” UPNEDA director Anupam Shukla said.

“Soon bids will be invited from interested developers to set up the plant that may be floating or ground-mounted, depending on the feasibility report,” he added.

The UPNEDA has asked the Lucknow Solar Power Development Corporation Ltd (LSPDCL) to conduct a feasibility study to find out the suitability of the establishment of a solar plant in the Bakhira area and also suggest which kind of plant, floating (on water) or ground-mounted, will be more suitable given the geographical topography of the place.