Govt gives extension to renewable projects delayed due to Covid

Manjil Das, INN/Chennai
Twitter-@SGiggle29 @Infodeaofficial

In the wake of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has granted a two-and-a-half-month extension to electricity projects with commissioning dates between April 1 and June 15, 2021.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced regulations that will prohibit developers from being penalised for delaying project commissioning beyond agreed-upon dates.

With the second wave of the pandemic causing lockdowns across the country, construction on a number of power projects was also halted, causing delays in commissioning.

MNRE issued notification last month allowing renewable projects with commissioning dates on or after April 1, 2021, an extended schedule subject to the continuation of existing PPAs and no increase in project cost due to delays.

Even during the Covid epidemic and lockdowns last year, MNRE granted a five-month extension to projects scheduled to be commissioned between March 25 and August 24, 2020.

All interstate transmission projects under development with a planned commercial operation date (SCOD) beyond April 1, 2021, have been granted a three-month extension by the electricity ministry, due to the recurrence of the Covid-19 epidemic.