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The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has started generating 5 MW of solar power along the 701-km Samruddhi Mahamarg (Mumbai-Nagpur expressway), with initial installations at Karanja Lad in Washim and Mehkar in Buldhana. The power will be sold to MSEDCL under a 2022 agreement at INR 3.05 per unit. Samruddhi is now India's first expressway to install solar generation. MSRDC aims to scale up to 204 MW across various interchanges, using the solar power for highway lighting and generating carbon credits. The expressway has carried over 2.5 crore vehicles since its inauguration in December 2022.
The Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway, which runs 701 km between Nagpur and Mumbai, has begun producing solar power. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), through its renewable energy arm Mahasamruddhi Renewable Energy Ltd., installed solar panels at two interchanges: Karanja Lad in Washim district and Mehkar in Buldhana district. Karanja Lad began generating 3 MW of solar power, while Mehkar started with 2 MW. Advertisement
The project is part of a plan to generate 204 MW of solar power across various interchanges along the expressway. Power will be used to light tunnels and sections of the highway and also supplied to the electricity grid under an agreement with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited. The rate agreed is INR 3.05 per unit.
The expressway has been in use since December 11, 2022. Since then, more than 2.5 crore vehicles have passed over it, establishing it as a high-traffic route.
MSRDC aims for the solar initiative to add revenue beyond toll fees. It also plans to earn carbon credits to help fund future infrastructure work. Panels will be installed on embankments and highway stretches that face south to capture more sunlight.
This move also fits with Maharashtra's renewable energy targets. The state has already expanded solar projects under its non-conventional energy policy and is encouraging public infrastructure projects to adopt clean power. At the national level, Samruddhi becomes the first expressway with such installations, while other corridors like the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Purvanchal Expressway have considered similar measures but are yet to launch large-scale solar generation.
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