Total Eren and EDF Renewables have signed 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs), for four solar power projects totalling 716MW of capacity in northern India.

A 50:50 joint venture between the two firms, known as EDEN Renewables India, signed a PPA with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for a 450MW project in the state of Rajasthan at the end of June. It has also last year signed PPAs for two 98MW projects and one 70MW installation with the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) - a distribution company based in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The projects, with a planned production of nearly 1,200 GWh per year, will be able to supply power to the equivalent of 1.1 million Indian households. Their construction is due to start by the end of this year and commissioning is expected towards the end of 2020.

EDEN Renewables India has been developing, building and operating solar projects in India since 2016 and the two parties have four projects totalling 207MW already deployed in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. It has participated in several competitive tenders as part of this.

Fabienne Demol, EVP, global head of Business Development of Total Eren, said: “We are delighted to have signed these PPAs for our four solar power plants, which will contribute to meeting the energy needs of the population in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and to the development of renewable energy projects locally. We are multiplying our Indian installed capacity by four. These signatures represent an important milestone in our development in this market, which still offers significant growth opportunities."

Frédéric Belloy, EVP, International Operations at EDF Renewables, added: "These large-scale projects are a lever for local economic development, they enable us to strengthen our presence in India and consider new projects in this country which represents a strategic market for EDF Renewables. These landmarks projects fit perfectly with the EDF Group’s Cap 2030 strategy of doubling its renewable energy capacity in operation between 2015 and 2030 in France and worldwide."

India's full-year Budget was announced last Friday, offering hope to electric vehicles and energy storage but leaving little of substance for the PV sector.