Under-construction solar projects get a five-month blanket extension for completion

In March, the government said delays in renewable energy plant construction on account of Covid-19-prompted supply chain disruption would be considered a force majeure event.

August 14, 2020 Uma Gupta

Covid-19-prompted disruption severely impacted solar installation during January-March, 2020 as the country added only 689 MW of utility-scale PV against 1,864 MW scheduled to be commissioned, according to Bridge To India.

Image: First Toledo Solar Corp.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced that all renewable energy (wind and solar) projects under implementation as on the date of lockdown, i.e., March 25, 2020, shall be given a five-month blanket extension for completion.

The extension in timelines—from March 25 to August 24, 2020—will apply to all projects under implementation through MNRE-designated implementing agencies or under various schemes of the MNRE.

“This blanket extension, if invoked by the RE developers, will be given without case to case examination, and no documents/evidence will be asked for such extension,” MNRE stated.

The MNRE had notified in March that delays in renewable energy plant construction due to Covid-19 prompted supply chain disruption would be considered as a force majeure event. The ministry added that it may grant suitable extension of time for projects, on account of coronavirus, based on evidences/documents produced by developers in support of their respective claims of such supply chain disruption due to spread of coronavirus in China or any other country.

“In the past five years, India, on an average, has imported solar cells and modules worth Rs 17,600 crore annually to meet the demand-supply mismatch. Imported solar modules meet 80 to 90% of the demand,” according to a report by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

Project construction was impacted severely as Covid-19 hit equipment supply chains and workforce availability.

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1 comment

Ajay Goyal says:
August 18, 2020 at 2:57 pm
I would urge pvmagazine not to use “Solar Farm” images that lay to waste productive farmland (now or in the future), as it appears in the image displayed at the beginning of this article.
AgriVolatics that generates Solar Electricity AND grows Food on the SAME LAND SIMULTANEOUSLY is the way forward.
As a Reminder…. India has
* 3.7 Millionkm2 of Land (including The Himalayas, Thar Desert…. EVERYTHING)
* 2.2 Millionkm2 is under Agriculture,
* A Population of 1.3 Billion… and growing.
India must not use its Agricultural or unused land (with potential for future use) for Solar Farms. It just cannot afford to do so as it will hamper Development, Growth and even the Environment in a negative manner.
The State & Central Govt’s must TOTALLY BAN use of productive (now or in the future) land for Solar Farms immediately, before another crisis/shortage is created by these “so-called” Clean and Green Solar Farms that are supposed to help the Environment… in the first place!!