Parliamentary Panel Directs MNRE to Avoid Further Delay in RE Targets

A Parliamentary panel has asked the MNRE to identify weak areas and take corrective actions without any further delay in meeting RE targets.

A Parliamentary panel has expressed dismay over Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) missing targets continuously and has suggested the ministry to identify weak areas and take corrective actions without any further delay. The Ministry has continuously failed to achieve its yearly physical targets, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy said in a report tabled in Parliament.

The panel expressed concerns that the ministry may also find it difficult to achieve the 175 GW (gigawatt) target by 2022.

For the years 2017-18 and 2018-19, against the grid-connected renewable energy target of 14,445 MW and 15,355 MW, the Ministry could achieve 11,876.82 MW and 8519.52 MW, respectively. Similarly, during the year 2019-20 (up to January 2020), 8,004.64 MW could be installed against the target of 11,852 MW. it said.

The committee said it “feels that with continuous non-achievement of the assigned yearly physical targets, the Ministry may find it difficult to achieve 175 GW by 2022. The committee highly dissatisfied with the performance of the Ministry and expects the Ministry to improve its target achievement in the coming year.”

The committee has recommended the MNRE to identify the weak areas on the basis of its performance during the previous years and take corrective actions without any further delay. It should also ensure continuous monitoring of the implementing agencies.

Physical achievement with respect to family type biogas plants is also poor as the Ministry could not achieve the target in any of the years from 2016-17 onwards. Given the time-bound target of 175 GW by 2022, such performances are disappointing.

On budgetary allocation for the renewable sector, the committee said an allocation of Rs 9,523.04 crore was sought by the Ministry for the year 2020-21, but only Rs 5753.00 crore has been sanctioned.

“In view of the gigantic targets assigned to the Ministry, allocation of 40 percent fewer funds as compared to the amount sought seems unjustifiable. Keeping in view the allocation of less than the required amount and the increased targets assigned to the Ministry, the Committee recommends that additional funds should be provided to the Ministry at RE (revised estimates) stage,” it said.

On Green Energy Corridor Project, it said, the project was supposed to be completed by March 2020, but the commissioning schedule has been extended till December 2020. The Committee has recommended that the Ministry should work on mission mode to get the Green Energy Corridor Project ready within a reasonable time frame in order to avoid grid congestion and to facilitate integration and evacuation of large scale renewable power capacity.

“The Ministry should eschew playing ducks and drakes with an important project like Green Energy Corridor,” the committee said.