Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency signed a grant supporting technical design and project planning work for a 41-MW hybrid wind, solar, and energy storage power plant in Andhra Pradesh, India. The grantee is IL&FS Energy Development Company Limited (IEDCL), a private sector energy company in India. The technical assistance will advance pre-implementation and pre-construction activities for the plant, which is expected to lead to a 1,040 MW installation.

IEDCL selected Black & Veatch, a Kansas-based engineering firm, to carry out the technical assistance. This project is a follow-on to previous USTDA-support that assessed the technical, financial and commercial viability of wind, solar, and energy storage hybrid power projects in the Indian states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Following the completion of that analysis, IEDCL and the Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the 1,040 MW project.

The grant was signed at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where U.S. Cabinet Secretaries and senior leaders from government and business discussed potential areas of collaboration in the Indo-Pacific. USTDA’s Director, Congressional and Public Affairs, Thomas R. Hardy and IEDCL’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Keshav Prasad participated in the signing ceremony. Black & Veatch executives witnessed the occasion.

“We appreciate the opportunity to support India’s energy infrastructure goals,” said Mr. Hardy, “while at the same time, creating new opportunities and market access for U.S. industry.”

“Grid modernization through hybrid projects like this one will help promote sustainable economic growth in India, and support the government’s goal of reaching 175 GW of capacity from renewable sources by 2022,” said Jason Abiecunas, Black & Veatch’s Director of Distributed Energy Resources. “Hybrid solutions, by optimizing output and reducing variability, will also improve the bankability of renewable energy projects.”

This project supports the goals of the U.S.–India Energy Cooperation Program (ECP) launched by USTDA, the Indian government, and the U.S. private sector in 2010.