Defence Ministry Approves 250 MW Solar Power Project with BESS on 850 Acres of Vacant Defence Land at Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the establishment of a 250 MW solar power project at Sitapur (Ex-Cantonment) in Uttar Pradesh, to be developed on approximately 850 acres of vacant defence land. The project will incorporate an integrated Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a reported capacity of around 50 MW / 200 MWh, enabling reliable power supply including during periods of low solar generation. The Ministry of Defence has described this as the first project of its kind undertaken by the ministry — the first large-scale solar power generation facility with integrated battery storage to be developed on defence land in India.
The solar-plus-storage configuration is intended to deliver stable, dispatchable power for defence establishments in the region, reducing their dependence on conventional grid power procurement and delivering long-term cost savings. The project is expected to strengthen energy security for the Armed Forces in Uttar Pradesh and is positioned as a potential model for replication across other surplus or vacant defence land holdings across the country.
The Ministry of Defence manages extensive land holdings nationally. The Sitapur initiative reflects a policy shift towards productively utilising underused defence parcels for clean energy generation without affecting operational requirements. Investment size and implementing agency for the project have not been disclosed in the approval announcement.