The Defence Ministry has approved the construction of a 250 MW solar power project with an integrated Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on vacant defence land in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur, marking the first large-scale renewable energy project of its kind to be developed on defence-owned land in India.The project, cleared by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will come up on around 850 acres of land in the former Sitapur Cantonment area and is expected to strengthen energy security for military establishments while reducing long-term power procurement costs.According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the solar-plus-storage facility is part of a broader effort to utilise vacant defence land more productively and support the government's clean energy goals. The project is expected to reduce reliance on conventional grid electricity and generate substantial savings for the exchequer over its operational life.State-run power producer NTPC Limited has been tasked with implementing the project through a competitive bidding process aimed at securing optimal energy pricing for defence installations. The project will be executed in coordination with the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army) and the Directorate General Defence Estates.The ministry said the initiative brings together national security, energy security, technological innovation and sustainability objectives. Officials view the Sitapur project as a pilot that could pave the way for similar renewable energy and energy storage developments on defence land across the country.Once completed, the facility is expected to become one of India's largest renewable energy projects established on defence land and could serve as a benchmark for future solar-plus-storage projects in the defence sector.The Defence Ministry, NTPC, the Army headquarters and the Directorate General Defence Estates will jointly oversee implementation to ensure the project is completed on schedule.