Govt Removes Dual Consent For Wind, Solar & Other RE Projects

By Chitrika Grover/ Updated On Mon, Nov 18th, 2024

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has now come up with a new gazette notification to reduce the need for multiple clearances from the government for the commissioning of several clean energy projects ranging from solar, wind, compressed biogas (CBG) and others. The move was aimed at expediting the growth of such industries which does not release waste during their operations.

This notification not only aims to bolster the faster approval of clean energy industries in India but also set to boost other no-polluting industries. As per the released notification from the MoEFCC, now, non-polluting “white category” industries, such as electric lamp (bulb) and CFL manufacturing by assembly only, solar power generation through photovoltaic cells, wind power, and mini hydel power projects (less than 25 MW), will no longer be required to obtain Consent to Establish (CTE) or Consent to Operate (CTO).

This change addresses the long-standing demands from industries that were demanding lesser paperwork to set up industries. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has also exempted solar module and non-conventional energy apparatus manufacturing units from these requirements.

MNRE Asks Module Makers To Share DCR Data Since Jan 2024

Also Read

Through its latest notification, the MoEFCC intends to issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) to streamline the implementation of this exemption and eliminate the dual compliance burden of obtaining both Environmental Clearance (EC) and CTE for setting up new industries. Under this notification, industries that have obtained an EC will no longer need to secure a separate CTE. This step will not only reduce the compliance burden but also prevent duplication of approvals. Relevant notifications have been issued by the MoEFCC under the Air Act and the Water Act.

The notification effectively integrates these two approvals, and an SOP has been issued to incorporate considerations from the CTE process into the EC itself. State Pollution Control Boards will be consulted during the EC process to ensure thorough oversight. However, industries will still be required to pay the CTE fee to avoid revenue losses for the States. Thus, reducing the compliance burden for industries and prevents duplication of approvals.

This aligns with the initiatives at several state and central levels where the governments are trying to push for ease of doing business. For example several states like Odisha have come up with their Single Window System to rule out the need for more paper works and involvement of multiple departments to setup industries.