Rajnath approves first-of-its-kind 250 MW solar project with BESS on defence land in UP's Sitapur

📌 Summary:

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a 250 MW Solar Power Project with an integrated Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on 850 acres of vacant defence land in Sitapur, UP
• It is the first-of-its-kind MoD project using unused defence land for large-scale green energy, with thousands of acres across India to be optimised over the next 3-5 years
• Aims: strengthen long-term energy security for the armed forces and cut spending on conventional grid power, yielding savings to the exchequer over the project life cycle
• NTPC Limited will implement it via competitive bidding for optimal pricing, coordinating with Integrated HQ of MoD (Army) and the Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE); frames a convergence of national security, energy security and environmental sustainability

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — renewable energy and sustainability; clean-energy transition; dual use of strategic assets for national development

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Project: 250 MW solar + BESS on 850 acres of defence land in Sitapur, UP; implementer NTPC Ltd
• BESS = Battery Energy Storage System; coordinating bodies: IHQ MoD (Army), DGDE

🔑 Key Term: Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) — storage that captures solar/renewable power to supply firm, dispatchable electricity when generation is low, improving grid reliability