The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has announced extension in the scheduled commissioning date for renewable energy (RE) projects by five months. The date has been extended from 25 March to 24 August 2020 to overcome the COVID-19 disruption.
MNRE in April granted a 30-day extension beyond the lockdown period for RE projects stating it as blanket extension where there would be no requirement of case-to-case examination.
MNRE in a notification said “All RE projects under implementation as on the date of lockdown, i.e. 25th March 2020, through RE Implementing Agencies designated by the MNRE or under various schemes of the MNRE, shall be given a time extension of 5 (five) months from 25th March 2020 to 24th August 2020.”
The ministry in the notification further added “This blanket extension, if invoked by the RE developers, will be given without case to case examination and no documents/evidence will be asked for such extension.”
The Developers, of the projects may also pass on the benefit of such time-extension, by way of granting similar time-extensions, to other stakeholders down the value chain like Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contractors, material, equipment suppliers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), etc., reads the notification.