The push by Uttar Pradesh towards solar open access power is gaining fast momentum, catalysed by an increase in demand from data centres and other energy-intensive industries across the state.

The push by Uttar Pradesh towards solar open access power is gaining fast momentum, catalysed by an increase in demand from data centres and other energy-intensive industries across the state.

December 5, 2025

Fresh data from a leading clean energy tracker shows that though traditional sectors like steel, metals, and mining make up around 16.9% of the state’s open-access power demand, data centers already take up 8.9% and with fresh investments and expansion plans, solar open access demand in Uttar Pradesh is set to roughly double over the next three years.

Uttar Pradesh unveiled its data-center policy in 2021 to attract an investment of ₹200 billion to develop 250 MW of data-center capacity. That target was increased to ₹300 billion in 2024 to include eight data-centres comprising 900 MW. As of now, over 20 data centres are in operation already in the state, with Noida emerging as a major Data-Center hub in northern India.

In the first nine months of 2025 alone, Uttar Pradesh added about 1,842.4 MW of solar open-access capacity. Analysts and developers attribute this growth to a combination of favorable solar-policy reforms, growth of new “hard-to-abate” sectors such as data centers and consumer electronics manufacturing, and easing of earlier contractual restrictions for industries with lower power needs.

A constantly evolving policy framework has thus brought about revised banking provisions under the 2024 Captive and Renewable Energy Generating Plants Regulations, long-term concessional land leases through the state agency UPNEDA, and streamlined application-approval processes. There is also renewed interest in the solar-plus-battery-storage-solution, particularly among commercial and industrial consumers who wish to draw electricity during peak tariff periods.

Looking ahead, industry players anticipate that open-access capacity will continue to grow, driven by the development of upcoming industrial corridors, expansion of Data-Centre parks, and new infrastructure like the upcoming international airport at Jewar-all things that could significantly increase power demand and further make a strong case for solar open access in Uttar Pradesh.