The state’s irrigation department is sitting on land and water bodies that could generate up to 7,000 MW of clean energy — enough to power millions of homes and save crores in electricity bills
Every time a pump pushes water through Telangana’s vast irrigation network, the state pays an electricity bill. It is a bill that runs into hundreds of crores of rupees every year — money spent keeping farms alive, keeping reservoirs functional, keeping the lifelines of agriculture running.
Now, Telangana’s Irrigation Minister wants to use those very same reservoirs, canals and irrigation lands to generate the electricity that powers them.
The idea is elegant in its simplicity: put solar panels above the water. Let the sun pay the power bill.
7,000 MW Hidden in Plain Sight
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday directed officials to identify and use available irrigation lands, reservoirs and canal systems for solar power generation on priority, saying the department must explore solar and pumped storage projects wherever possible to reduce long-term power costs and create sustainable energy sources.
The numbers are striking. Feasibility studies were conducted at some 16 reservoirs. Even if around 10 per cent of suitable reservoir and irrigation land area was used, it would create potential to install nearly 6,000 to 7,000 MW of solar power capacity.
To put that in perspective, 7,000 MW is roughly equivalent to seven large coal-fired power plants — generated not from fossil fuels, not from new land acquisition, but from water bodies and irrigation infrastructure that already exist and already belong to the state.
Locations such as Manjira and Singur could be explored for this purpose, the Minister suggested — two of Telangana’s most significant reservoirs, sitting within striking distance of Hyderabad and already central to the state’s water supply network.
The Canal Idea: Solar Panels That Pay for Themselves
Perhaps the most innovative proposal discussed at Tuesday’s review meeting at Jala Soudha was a canal-based solar project that requires zero government investment.
A canal-based solar project under the BOOT model — Build Own Operate and Transfer — was discussed during the meeting. The project was proposed on a canal stretch of about 15 kilometres between Jagora and Chandora. The model would not require government capital investment or land acquisition, as the existing canal system would be used.
Under this model, a private developer builds the solar infrastructure over the canal at their own cost, operates it for a fixed period, and then transfers ownership to the government. The state gets clean energy with no upfront spending.
The project could support a 20 MW solar power system, generate around 340 lakh units annually and meet the project’s requirement of about 84 lakh units. The surplus energy of about 255 lakh units could be sold, generating revenue of nearly Rs 11.5 crore per year, officials said.
That is not just free electricity for the irrigation department. That is a revenue stream from infrastructure that currently costs money to maintain.
Why This Makes Perfect Sense for Telangana
Floating and canal-top solar is not a new idea globally — Gujarat pioneered canal-top solar in India over a decade ago — but Telangana’s irrigation network offers a scale that few states can match. The state built some of India’s most ambitious irrigation infrastructure over the past decade. Those same reservoirs, canals and lift schemes that move water across the state are now potential energy assets.
The double benefit is what makes this proposal genuinely exciting. Solar panels installed over reservoirs do not just generate electricity — they reduce water evaporation from the reservoir surface, which in a state that battles water scarcity every summer, is a significant additional gain. Farmers get cheaper irrigation power. The state gets cleaner energy. And reservoirs lose less water to the summer heat.
The Minister asked the department to work on proposals and coordinate with the concerned Chief Engineers and nodal agencies to prepare a clear way forward, adding that officials could use in-house technical expertise or draft the services of professional agencies from outside to prepare the proposals.
The Road Ahead
The proposals are still at the feasibility and direction stage — no tenders have been floated, no timelines announced. The journey from a ministerial directive to solar panels floating above Manjira reservoir involves engineering studies, environmental clearances, financial modelling and regulatory approvals.
But the direction is clear and the logic is compelling. Telangana has spent billions building water infrastructure. That infrastructure, with the right investment and political will, could become one of the state’s most productive clean energy assets.
The reservoir that irrigates your food could soon be powering your home too.
