World's Largest Solar Power Station to Open in Madhya Pradesh

"Global tenders for commissioning the solar power station in an area over 1,500 hectares at Bandwar region in Gudh tehsil of Rewa, will be invited shortly," Shukla told PTI.

He said that if all goes well, the plant will start generating solar energy by March 2017.

The project - Rewa Ultra Mega Solar - is a joint venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India and MP Urja Vikas Nigam, where in both parties have 50 percent stake, he added.

According to him, the project will come up on barren government land and one MW power generation needs two hectares tract of land.

The minister said the cost of generating one MW solar energy comes to around Rs. 7.6 crores.

At present, the world's largest solar power project - Ivanpah Solar Power Facility of 392MW - is at the Mojave Desert in California, United States, the minister informed.

In February last year, Narendra Modi, as BJP's prime ministerial candidate, inaugurated Asia's largest solar power project at Neemuch.

As per reports, Welspun's solar power project in Neemuch, some 400 km from Bhopal, had come up at a cost of around Rs. 1,100 crores on 305 hectares of land.