MUMBAI, Aug. 10 -- The state government has cleared the way for Mumbai's first municipal foray into hybrid renewable energy, granting final approval for the diversion of 4.9 hectares of forest land in Mokhada, Palghar, for a hydroelectric and solar power project at the Middle Vaitarna reservoir. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) received the crucial nod on July 21 - the last of several approvals - enabling construction to finally begin on a project that has been on the drawing board for over five years. Once operational, it is expected to generate about 208 million units of electricity annually, helping cut the civic body's power bill by Rs.12.6 crore a year at the Pise-Panjrapur water treatment plant. Under a 25-year agreement, the BMC will purchase power from the contractor at a fixed rate of Rs.4.75 per unit. Significantly, the project will be executed on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, meaning the civic body will not incur any capital expenditure. The Middle Vaitarna Dam, completed in 2014 at a height of 102.4 metres and length of 565 metres, was envisioned not just for water supply but also for power generation. Its combined outflow channel was designed to accommodate hydroelectric production in the future. In 2019, the BMC secured permission from the state's Water Resources Department to generate hydropower from the reservoir. Consultants later recommended a hybrid model combining 20 MW of hydroelectric power and 80 MW of floating solar power....