The Central government is set to use special powers under the Electricity Act of 2003 to ensure regulatory passage for a clutch of inter-state transmission lines. The objective is to prevent solar and wind power projects worth Rs 40,000 crore from getting stranded.
The Union Ministry of Power will invoke Section 107 of the Electricity Act to ask the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to allow central utilities to build the transmission lines for evacuating power from eight GW of green energy projects slated to be commissioned from October 2020.
The directives will cover transmission lines required by the end of 2020 in Phase-I for 12.5 GW, including the eight GW underway of renewable projects under implementation or tendered as well as 16.5 GW projects approved under norms prevalent till June 2018.
Under the previous process, the Central Electricity Authority of India and the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) planned transmission schemes based on location of green power projects.
Under new norms, PGCIL plans transmission schemes every six months and seeks stakeholder comment before sending to the Regional Power Committee, which will then send it for CERC approval.