Madhya Pradesh is now leading India's PM-KUSUM solar initiative. There was a significant auction of 4.3GW of solar power through the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVNL). With this auction, Madhya Pradesh has shown its continued commitment towards clean renewable energy, rural electrification, and providing sustainable electricity for agriculture. This auction reflects Madhya Pradesh’s strategic focus on integrating renewable energy into rural distribution networks while reducing feeder losses and improving power availability for farmers.

PM-KUSUM Component-C and Rural Solarisation

The PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) programme is designed to enable farmers access to electricity, decrease the burden of electricity bills for farmers, encourage the development of renewable energy at the intermediate level, and support the stability of the electricity grid in rural areas in India. Component-C of the scheme specifically focuses on the solarization of agricultural feeders and the development of localized, grid-connected solar plants backed by long-term Power Purchase Agreements. In Madhya Pradesh, this component has become a central pillar of rural power sector reform by directly aligning solar generation with agricultural demand patterns.

Auction Overview and Market Analytics

The recently concluded auction attracted strong participation from private developers, with 82 developers collectively awarded approximately 4.01 GW of solar capacity out of the 4.3 GW tendered. Tariffs discovered in the range of ₹2.68 to ₹2.85 per kWh indicate a mature and competitive market environment. Projects awarded under the auction are required to be completed within a strict timeline of 12 months and must maintain a minimum annual capacity utilization factor of 15 percent, ensuring consistent power supply to rural agricultural feeders.

The auction results highlight a well-balanced market structure. While the top five developers together account for nearly 64 percent of the awarded capacity, the remaining capacity has been distributed among 77 mid-sized and specialized developers. This decentralized allocation model supports wider industry participation while increasing the need for robust execution, coordination, and supply-chain management across multiple districts and grid interfaces.

Metalbook’s 95 MW Betul Solar Project

Among all awarded projects, Metalbook’s 95 MW solar project in the Betul district stands out as the largest multi-site cluster, spread across nine different locations. PM-KUSUM Component-C locations in the Betul district are being managed through our Full EPC Strategy—providing site assessments, DC/AC Designs, grid integration, compliance, Procurement of premium solar modules, inverters, transformers, cables, SCADA and BoP; along with Long Term O&M.

Civil foundations, roads and fencing will be the first performed before starting the production and assembly of the modules; the last part of the project will be O&M that is focused on reducing feeder losses by 25% and controlling voltage stability at the point of generation. This will give Betul's farmers access to reliable daytime solar, reducing their monthly bills, reducing the number of outages they experience and creating local jobs.

Metalbook has a more profound vision for India—a country powered by sunshine, supporting the decentralization of solar to farmers and creating a more robust electrical grid. This successful project in Betul demonstrates Metalbook's ability to efficiently coordinate with both EPCs and OEMs in the execution of a project, as it relates to the 500 GW commitment for Renewable Energy by 2030. We are not only creating solar plants, but we are also creating a more resilient India by operating with lower levels of emissions, supporting the rural economy, and helping develop India into a global leader in Clean Energy.

Execution Strategy and Infrastructure Development

Execution of the Betul project involves the development of essential civil and electrical infrastructure across all sites. Key works include; foundations, internal roads, fencing, drainage, the manufacture & install of solar structures, electrical connect and synchronise with local grid. Due to the centralised procurement and oversight of project execution, Metalbook will be able to achieve uniform quality, cost optimisation and reduce execution risk in nine project locations.

Grid Impact and Rural Benefits

In addition to increasing generation capacity, this solar project is also expected to provide numerous benefits at both the grid level and for rural development as a whole. These benefits include reducing' feeder losses by an estimated 8 to 12 percent, stabilizing voltage levels within rural distribution networks, and improving the quality of power provided to agricultural consumers. Daytime solar generation that coincides with irrigation needs will help to reduce reliance on nighttime power supply and reliance on diesel backup systems, thereby relieving peak load stress on state utilities.

Market Outlook and Strategic Alignment

The solar industry in India is in a stage of transformation, transitioning from quickly adding new capacity to focusing on how existing & future projects will be performed. Efficiency, performance over the lifecycle of a project, and optimization across the supply chain will be critical to success going forward. Madhya Pradesh’s PM-KUSUM rollout exemplifies this shift, as decentralized and grid-integrated solar projects require advanced coordination across engineering, procurement, construction, and long-term operations.

Metalbook's recent involvement in the 95 MW Betul project demonstrates how Metalbook is committed to their strategic target of becoming the leading platform-enabled enabler to support building large-scale distributed renewable infra in India. By combining sourcing intelligence with the coordination of EPC activities and lifecycle management, Metalbook will help deliver the necessary execution backbone for solar infrastructure development. The Betul PM-KUSUM project demonstrates the company’s capability to deliver complex, multi-site solar assets with speed, transparency, and long-term reliability, supporting both India’s renewable energy targets and the sustainable development of rural power networks.