A 5 MW solar power project has started operations at Panmandwadi in Khed taluka of Pune district, bringing daytime electricity access to 2,504 agricultural consumers connected to the Kadus electricity substation. The project has been developed under the Chief Minister Solar Agricultural Feeder Scheme and was inaugurated online on Wednesday by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.
The launch took place during the inauguration of the 20th branch of Rajgurunagar Cooperative Bank in Chakan. The project is intended to supply locally generated solar power to agricultural pumps, allowing farmers to plan irrigation during the day instead of depending on night-time electricity supply.
According to the report, the project was built by Avaada at a cost of approximately Rs 20.75 crore. Electricity generated at Panmandwadi will be transmitted to the 33 kV Kadus substation through a 5.8-kilometre, 11 kV line. The arrangement is designed to bring generation closer to the agricultural loads it serves rather than relying entirely on power supplied from more distant sources.
The Kadus substation has 8,643 electricity consumers, of whom 2,504 are agricultural consumers. The project therefore directly corresponds to the agricultural consumer base identified in the substation area. The report did not specify the annual generation expected from the plant, the tariff at which the electricity will be supplied, or the precise daily supply schedule for farmers.
The daytime supply is also being presented as a safety measure. Sunetra Pawar said that the project would make irrigation planning easier and reduce the need for farmers to visit their fields at night. The report attributed the reduction in night-time farm visits to a possible decrease in exposure to leopards and other wild animals in the area.
The project comes as electricity demand at the Kadus substation is increasing. Work is under way to install an additional 5 MVA high-voltage transformer. Once completed, the substation’s total capacity is expected to reach 15 MVA. The report did not provide a completion date for the transformer work or state whether the additional capacity is directly linked to the new solar project.
The solar agricultural feeder programme is being implemented across Maharashtra through decentralised solar projects. At Panmandwadi, the new plant, its transmission connection and the substation upgrade form three connected parts of the local electricity system: generation, evacuation and distribution capacity. The effectiveness of the arrangement will depend on the project’s operational output, the reliability of the transmission line and the substation’s ability to manage the area’s growing demand.
The online inauguration was attended by MLA Babaji Kale, former MLA Dilip Mohite Patil, Chakan Municipal Council president Manisha Gore, Mahavitaran Pune region chief engineer Dnyandev Padalkar, Pune rural circle superintendent engineer Suresh Sawairam, executive engineer Keshav Kalumali and Avaada representatives Fateh Singh and Murtuza Qazi. The next reported milestone is completion of the additional transformer work, which is expected to raise the Kadus substation’s capacity to 15 MVA.
