Indian solar firm Tata Power Solar has secured a 50MW solar photovoltaic project contract from National Thermal Power (NTPC) as part of its strategy to increase its renewable energy portfolio to 1,000MW by 2017..

The proposed solar power project, located at Rajgarh in the state of Madhya Pradesh, will double NTPC’s solar capacity.

Once operational in March 2014, the solar project will generate around 78.66 million units of clean energy annually.

The electricity generated at the project will be used to power MP Power Trading Company.

Commenting on the project, NTPC Technical director AK Jha said that the company is planning to increase its generation mix through conventional and non-conventional sources of energy to ensure long term competitiveness and mitigate fuel risk.

Tata Power Solar CEO Ajay Goel said, "We are proud to be partnering with NTPC on this flagship 50MW solar project to bring much needed peak power to Madhya Pradesh.

"This project brings together two of our core strengths in solar- market leading solar module manufacturing and, competitive, high-quality engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) capability."

Currently, Tata Power Solar has grid connected projects, with a total installed capacity of around 70MW.