NEW DELHI 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a solar power plant with the aim to stop reliance on imports from neighbors China and Pakistan

The 750-megawatt power plant in the central state of Madhya Pradesh is being dubbed as the largest in Asia by local media.

The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million tons each year.

"Several steps are being taken to increase domestic manufacturing and it has been decided that government’s departments and institutions will only buy domestically manufactured solar cells and modules,” said Modi, in the wake of recent border tensions with China.

China is a major exporting nation of solar equipment to India. However, border clashes last month which resulted in the killing of 20 Indian troops have triggered a trade war between the two Asian giants.

In the virtual launch of the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project, Modi highlighted that India’s progress in the field of solar energy will garner international interest.

“Hopefully very soon India will be a major exporter of power. The International Solar Alliance was launched with the motive to unite the entire world in terms of solar energy."

The project is a step toward India's ambitious target of installing 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by the year 2022.