According to a report only one third of the of 6,000 MW wind power project auctioned by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) have been commissioned
SECI, the nodal agency that conducts wind and solar auctions, has reportedly commissioned only 1961 MW of wind capacity.
An office of the ministry speaking to ET on condition of anonymity said “There are three big reasons for the delay, firstly getting defence clearance for wind projects takes a long time. It takes six months to a year to come by.”
He added ‘Gujarat government’s initial reluctance to lease land to winners of auctions conducted by the central agency and the novel coronavirus outbreak has also contributed in the delay.
Wind power projects are often installed in sensitive border areas, hence they require the defence ministry’s clearance.
The official cited above said “Had it not been for Covid-19, these projects may have been commissioned by now.”
In the first auction held in February 2017, SECI has commissioned 1,000 MW out of 1,049 MW, while 685 MW out of 1,000MW have been commissioned in tranche 2 held in October 2017. The scheduled commissioning date for tranche 2 was May 2019.
The publication notes that in the tranche 3 auctioned in February 2018, 277MW out of 2000 MW have been commissioned while not a single megawatt has been commissioned amongst the 2000 MW auctioned in tranche 4 in April 2018. The scheduled commissioning deadline for tranche 3 projects was November 2019, and March this year for tranche 4.