Amending Bidding Rules To Expedite RE Capacity Additions: RK Singh

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy RK Singh said that the MNRE ministry amended the rules relating to bidding for renewable projects. He also said that some other provisions of the bidding documents are being overhauled to give an impetus to adding more renewables to India’s energy mix.

His statement came to the fore during his recent press conference on the sidelines of the G20 conference at Goa. Responding to the queries on if India was on the right track of adding 50 Gigawatt (GW) of renewables, based on its own bidding trajectory, he said, “We have set the target of adding 50GW of renewable capacity every year for ourselves. No, we are not (on the trajectory). I’ll tell you why.”

He added that the MNRE has attempted to overhaul the whole bidding system to give more flexibility to the bidders. “This (the bidding trajectory) prepares the bidders to know these bids are coming in a particular year. Earlier, the bidders used to buy land or take land on the lease after winning a bid. Now we have changed it. Now they can buy or lease land anytime and can start construction anytime. And when I float a bid, you can come and bid, irrespective of your construction stage,” he said.

He also added, “Even if you have completed in capacity. You can bid for any untied capacity. Now capacity construction will go on throughout the year by all developers instead of waiting for the bid and taking up land.”

Singh said that the ministry changed it so that the process becomes easier. “We are bringing this to the bidding documents too. The bidding documents are becoming stricter. We are laying down timelines for bid capacity additions. If this does not go as per the timelines, there are provisions now for strict penalties. We can become stricter. Hopefully, when the bidding documents are finalized, we will increase the pace,” he added. 

The minister said that by 2030 India would have around 100 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity. “India has emerged as one of the largest and most attractive markets for investment in the renewable sector. We are one of the few countries worldwide which has achieved its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets well before the deadline. We will also meet our goals of reduction in carbon emissions intensity if we go by our current progress,” he said.