The salt-strewn wilderness of Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch, long known for its desolate beauty, is fast transforming into the epicentre of India’s clean energy ambitions, drawing rival commitments from two of the country’s biggest industrial houses, Reliance Industries and the Adani Group.
Adani was the first to set the tone, unveiling its colossal Khavda renewable energy park in 2022. Spread across 538 square kilometres, nearly five times the size of Paris, the hybrid solar-and-wind facility is projected to deliver 30 GW of green power. Electricity from the site was first routed into the national grid in February 2024, marking a milestone in India’s energy transition.
Reliance’s entry followed a year later. At the conglomerate’s annual general meeting this August, Anant Ambani disclosed sweeping plans to establish one of the largest single-site solar parks in the world on 5,50,000 acres of arid Kutch terrain. “At peak, we will deploy 55 MW of solar modules and 150 MWh of battery containers every day. This will be among the fastest installations globally. This single site could meet nearly 10 per cent of India’s electricity needs within the next decade,” he declared on August 29.
Though Ambani refrained from explicitly comparing projects, calculations underline the scale: the Reliance project covers 2,225 sq km, three times the size of Singapore, dwarfing Adani’s Khavda spread. Yet Reliance has neither revealed estimated power generation nor offered a completion timeline.
The Gujarat government has proactively facilitated these mega projects by leasing large tracts of government wasteland for extended periods. In April 2023, it approved the allocation of 1.99 lakh hectares of land for green hydrogen initiatives in Kutch and Banaskantha, including parcels to Reliance New Energy and Adani New Industries on 40-year leases at just ₹15,000 per hectare
Also read: Adani's Kutch refinery to reduce India's copper imports
The attraction is evident. Kutch enjoys some of the highest levels of solar radiation in the country, averaging 5.5–6.0 kilowatt-hours per square metre daily and receiving over 300 days of sunlight a year. Its barren, sparsely populated expanse keeps displacement minimal and land costs low, while proximity to ports such as Mundra and Kandla ensures logistical advantage. Hybrid projects, combining solar with Kutch’s consistent 8 m/s winds, further boost reliability.
Adani has already put 5.6 GW into operation at Khavda and plans to scale to 30 GW by 2029, with indications the target could eventually rise to 50 GW. The group has also forged ahead in the renewable manufacturing ecosystem, building solar modules, wind turbines and commissioning India’s first off-grid 5 MW green hydrogen pilot plant.
Reliance, for its part, is preparing to align solar generation with integrated ventures in battery storage and hydrogen. State-run NTPC Ltd is also advancing its 4.75 GW solar project in the same cluster.
These mega-investments are synchronised with India’s broader commitments: 500 GW of renewable capacity by 2030 and a national pledge to net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. Kutch, once seen as marginal wasteland, is today central to that ambition.
Follow us
