Ujani Dam Project: Officials Say 2,000 MW Floating Solar and AI Data Centre Will Use Under 0.5 TMC Water, Displace No Families; 2,800 Jobs Promised
Officials say the Ujani project, with 2,000 MW floating solar and a 1.4 GW AI data centre, will draw at most 0.5 TMC water a year and displace no families.
Photo: Nvvchar / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pune, 3rd November 2026: Officials managing Ujani dam have said the proposed renewable energy and data centre project on the reservoir will draw no more than 0.5 TMC of water a year, will not displace any families and will not harm fish or aquatic life, responding to concerns raised by local residents and farmers.
The project combines a 2,000 MW floating solar plant, an 1,800 MW battery storage system and a 1.4 GW AI data centre. The Maharashtra government signed an MoU for it on 16 April 2026, according to the clarification reported by Pune Pulse. The developer has not been named.
Key numbers from the administration
| Item | What officials say |
|---|---|
| Floating solar area | 3,000 hectares, about 9% of the reservoir’s 33,630 hectares at full level |
| Phase 1 land | 415.75 acres at Bhimanagar-Ranjani (Madha) and Tartegaon, Hingangaon (Indapur) |
| Phase 2 land | Up to 174 more acres, subject to Forest Department approval |
| Water use | About 0.42 TMC a year, capped at 0.5 TMC; claims of 6 TMC rejected |
| Evaporation saved | About 1.5 TMC a year, because panels shade the water |
| Jobs | About 2,800 permanent; 40,000 direct and indirect |
| Revenue to irrigation body | About ₹180 crore a year to the Krishna Valley Development Corporation |
Answers to local concerns
Officials said 51.18 acres of Water Resources Department land at Bhimanagar had been given without compensation to 311 families earlier, and that no family would be displaced. Farmers cultivating about 12 acres within the project area will be consulted. The data centre will use closed-loop cooling and no treated process wastewater will enter the reservoir or river, they said, adding that green hydrogen and a small nuclear reactor are not part of the plan.
A project coordinator will be appointed, and four local representatives each from Bhimanagar, Tartegaon and Hingangaon will be selected. Environmental clearances will be obtained before final approval, officials said.
Ujani, on the Bhima river, supplies drinking and irrigation water to Solapur district and parts of Pune district, so any new demand is watched closely in a drought year. Read about the protest against the data centre on 31 October and the drought across Maharashtra.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ujani floating solar project?
A proposed 2,000 MW floating solar plant on Ujani reservoir, with 1,800 MW of battery storage and a 1.4 GW AI data centre, under an MoU signed by Maharashtra on 16 April 2026.
How much water will the Ujani data centre use?
Officials say about 0.42 TMC a year, capped at 0.5 TMC, and reject claims of 6 TMC.
Will villagers be displaced by the Ujani project?
Officials say no families will be displaced and that farmers cultivating about 12 acres in the area will be consulted.
