Solar park scheme deadline extended till FY26
The scheme was rolled out in December 2014 to support states and union territories in setting up solar parks at various locations in the country with a view to create required infrastructure for setting up of solar power projects.
New Delhi: The union ministry of new and renewable energy has extended the scheme for ‘Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Park Projects’ till FY26. A notification from the ministry said that the extension would not entail any additional financial implication. The scheme was scheduled to end in March 2024.
The scheme was rolled out in December 2014 to support states and union territories in setting up solar parks at various locations in the country with a view to create required infrastructure for setting up of solar power projects.
A solar park is large chunk of land developed with common infrastructure facilities like transmission infrastructure, road, water, drainage, communication network among others, with all statutory clearances.
Under the scheme, the ministry provides central financial assistance (CFA) of up to ₹25 lakh per solar park for preparation of detailed project report (DPR). Beside this, CFA of up to ₹20 lakh per MW or 30% of the project cost, including grid-connectivity cost, whichever is lower, is also provided on achieving the milestones prescribed in the scheme.
The extension comes amid slow progress in the development of solar parks.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha in March, union minister for new and renewable energy (MNRE) RK Singh had said that of the 57 solar parks with an aggregate capacity 39.28 GW, only nine were fully complete and another eight partially complete as of February 2023.
“The reasons for delay in establishing solar parks include challenges in acquisition of clear land, mismatch in timelines between solar projects and power evacuation infrastructure, environmental issues like Great Indian Bustard (GIB) issue, regulatory challenges like non-approval of solar tariff by SERCs, etc,” he had said.
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First Published:21 Jun 2023, 04:51 PM IST
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