Government medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh will tap solar power to meet their electricity requirement, a move which will result in savings of Rs 12 crore in the very first year of implementation.

An MOU in this regard was inked on February 21 in the presence of state New and Renewable Energy Minister Harsh Yadav and Medical Education Minister Vijay Laxmi Sadho, a public relations department official said. Under the MoU, solar power plants will be set up on the rooftops of state-run medical colleges to meet their electricity needs, he said.

The MoU covers government medical colleges in Bhopal, Rewa, Indore, Jabalpur, Chhindwara, Shivpuri, Vidisha, Ratlam, Shahdol, Khandwa, Shahdol, Gwalior, Datia and Sagar in two phases under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) scheme, the official said.

These colleges will get environment-friendly green power at the quarter of existing rate at Rs 1.63 per unit, the official said. A private company, Tepsol Solar Power Ventures Pvt Ltd, is installing these plants under a 25-year agreement with the government, the official added.

In the first year of implementation of the project, a sum of Rs 12 crore will be saved, while during the entire 25 years of the agreement, the government will save around Rs 300 crore, he added. The scheme is being implemented in Madhya Pradesh with the help of the World Bank and the International Solar Alliance.