Himachal gets its first solar plant with BESS in Spiti Valley

By Staff Report October 17, 2026 12:16 pm IST

The 2 MW plant is paired with a 1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) built at a cost of ₹44.2 million.

Himachal Pradesh has got its first solar power project with a battery storage facility. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at Rongtong in the Kaza area of Spiti Valley. The 2 MW plant is paired with a 1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and was built at a cost of ₹44.2 million. It sits at an altitude of about 3,600 metres above sea level and is expected to generate around 3.6 million units of electricity a year.

The plant is expected to generate around 36 lakh units of electricity annually. The solar project construction began on May 30, 2023, and the plant was commissioned in December 2024. It highlights the potential of solar energy in remote, high-altitude regions and demonstrates how suitable technology and efficient operational systems can promote clean power generation in the Himalayan areas.

The solar power project would emerge as a new symbol of development in Spiti Valley. The CM said the Rongtong Hydel Power Project would be made fully functional, for which ₹6 crore would be spent. The CM said commissioning the solar power project marked a significant step toward addressing concerns regarding the quality and reliability of electricity supply and strengthening the region’s power infrastructure.