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By Sibi Arasu

The Associated Press

KHAVDA, India 鈥� Rising from the bare expanse of the large salt desert that separates India from Pakistan is what will likely be the world鈥檚 largest renewable energy development when it鈥檚 completed three years from now.

The solar and wind energy complex will be so big that it will be visible from space, according to developers of what is called the Khavda renewable energy park 鈥� named after the village nearest to the project site.

At the site, thousands of laborers install pillars on which solar panels will be mounted. The pillars rise like perfectly aligned concrete cactuses that stretch as far as the eye can see. Other workers are building foundations for enormous wind turbines to be installed; they also are transporting construction materials, building substations, and laying wires for miles.

When completed, the project will be about as large as Singapore, spreading out over 280 square miles. The Indian government estimates it will cost at least $2.26 billion.

The shift to renewable energy is a key issue at the ongoing climate summit. Some leaders have voiced support for a target of tripling renewable energy worldwide in any final agreement while curbing use of coal, oil and natural gas.

What makes this heavy industrial activity peculiar is that it鈥檚 taking place in the middle of the Rann of Kutch in western India鈥檚 Gujarat state. The Rann is an unforgiving salt desert and marshland at least 43.5 miles from the nearest human habitation but just a short truck ride away from one of the world鈥檚 most tense international borders.

Ground zero of a transition to wind and solar

When The Associated Press visited the renewable energy park, two days of unseasonably heavy rains had left the ground muddy and waterlogged since the only escape for water in this rough terrain is evaporation. This made it even harder for the workers to do their jobs.

Notwithstanding the tough conditions, an estimated 4,000 workers and 500 engineers have been living in makeshift camps for the better part of the past year toiling to get this development up and running.

Once completed, the park will supply 30 gigawatts of renewable energy annually, enough to power nearly 18 million Indian homes.

As India聽aims to install聽500 gigawatts of clean energy by the end of the decade and to reach net zero emissions by 2070, this project site will likely contribute significantly to the world鈥檚 most populous country鈥檚 transition away from use of carbon-spewing sources.

As things stand, India is still聽mostly powered by fossil fuels, especially coal, which generate more than 70 percent of India鈥檚 electricity. Renewable energy currently contributes about 10 percent of India鈥檚 electricity needs. The country also currently ranks third for most carbon emissions, behind China and the United States.

鈥淭here are people working here from all over India,鈥� said KSRK Verma, Khavda project head for Adani Green Energy Limited, the renewable energy arm of Adani Group, which the Indian government has contracted to build 20 gigawatts of the project. Verma, with over 35 years of experience building dams across turbulent South Asian rivers and enormous natural gas tanks under the Bay of Bengal, said this is one of the most difficult projects he鈥檚 undertaken.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not at all (an) easy site to work at; there is no habitation, the land is marshy, there are a lot of high winds, rains and this is a high earthquake prone area,鈥� said Vneet Jaain, managing director of Adani Green at its headquarters in the city of Ahmedabad.

Jaain, who has overseen multiple ambitious projects for Adani Group, said the first six months were spent building basic infrastructure.

鈥淔rom April this year is when we started working on the actual project,鈥� he added.

Adani Group has been in the spotlight this year since the聽U.S.-based short-selling Hindenburg Research聽firm accused the conglomerate and its head,聽Gautam Adani, of 鈥渂razen stock manipulation鈥� and 鈥渁ccounting fraud.鈥� Adani Group has called the allegations baseless.

Jaain of Adani Green said the allegations have had little impact on its ongoing projects, including the Khavda park.

An example to emulate

鈥淭wenty years ago, India was exactly where a vast expanse of (the) developing world was,鈥� Ajay Mathur, director general of the International Solar Alliance, said of the country鈥檚 renewable energy production. The 120-member alliance promotes renewable energy 鈥� primarily solar 鈥斅燼cross the world.

About 124 miles away in the industrial city of Mundra, also located along the Gujarat state鈥檚 coastline, Adani Group is manufacturing the solar and wind energy parts needed for the project. It鈥檚 one of the few locations in India where most solar energy components are made from scratch. Some of the factories are run like laboratories, with protective gear, face masks and head covers required to avoid dust particles that can compromise solar cells.

The nearby wind energy factory aims to produce 300 turbines per year, with each blade stretching nearly 86 yards and weighing 24 tons. Each wind turbine generator can produce 5.2 megawatts of clean energy. They will be India鈥檚 biggest.

鈥淚ndia has traveled a long way,鈥� Mathur said, adding that the country鈥檚 large-scale renewable energy projects, including the Khavda park, will likely inspire other developing countries.

鈥淗ere is a country that was exactly where they are today and was able to make the change,鈥� he said.

Environmental impact

While acknowledging the importance of transitioning to renewable energy, environmental experts and social activists say India鈥檚 decision to allow clean energy projects without any environmental impact assessments is bound to have adverse consequences.

鈥淭he salt desert is a unique landscape鈥� that is 鈥渞ich in flora and fauna,鈥� including flamingos, desert foxes and migratory bird species that fly from Europe and Africa to winter in this region, according to Abi T Vanak, a conservation scientist with the Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. Vanak has overseen multiple environment-related research projects in the Kutch region.

Kutch and similar regions are classified as 鈥渨astelands鈥� by the Indian government 鈥� and Vanak said this is extremely unfortunate.

鈥淭hey are not recognized as valid ecosystems,鈥� he said.

With renewable energy projects exempt from environmental impact assessments, 鈥渢here is no system in place鈥� to determine the best places for them, according to Sandip Virmani, a Kutch-based environmentalist.

At slightly more than 17,374.5 square miles (as big as Denmark), the Kutch district is India鈥檚 largest. Given this, Virmani said there is enough land in Kutch for various renewable energy projects. But he fears that dairies and other local businesses in the region might be impacted by large-scale projects.

鈥淚t has to be in the context of not compromising on another economy,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, longtime residents are still waiting to see how this huge project near their village will affect them.

Hirelal Rajde, 75, who has spent most of his life in Khavda, is mindful of the massive project as well as the increase in tourism in recent years in this otherwise desolate region.

鈥淚 think these developments are both good and bad,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think overall though it will benefit more than it will cause problems. I tell everyone who lives here to hold onto their land; don鈥檛 sell it. In a few years, I tell them they鈥檒l have so much business that they won鈥檛 be able to rest even at night.鈥�