India has nixed connectivity permissions for 6.3GW clean energy since 2022, power ministry says

NEW DELHI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - India's federal transmission authority has cancelled transmission connectivity granted for about 6.3 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity since 2022 due to project delays by developers, the country's federal power ministry said on Monday.

The Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd (CTUIL) revoked access for 24 project holders after they failed to meet commissioning timelines, the ministry said, without specifying further details.

Sixteen of them have so far challenged the decisions before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), seeking protection from losing their grid access approvals.

Several companies had reached out to the country's federal power regulator for processing claims towards losses incurred due to the lack of transmission infrastructure. The regulator has admitted petitions filed by two renewable energy developers seeking compensation for financial losses incurred due to delays in setting up transmission infrastructure, Reuters reported in October.

The cancellations were not linked to transmission infrastructure delays, the Ministry of Power said, and added that they do not reflect a shortfall in planning as India moves toward its goal of installing 500 gigawatts of non-fossil power capacity by 2030.

The CTUIL, along with the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGRD.NS) are responsible for setting up transmission infrastructure for renewable energy in India.

About 259 GW of transmission capacity is already connected to the grid, the power ministry said, with lines capable of handling 172 GW of renewable power currently under construction. Bidding is underway for another 19 GW, the ministry said.

It added that the federal government is coordinating with states to speed up intra-state transmission upgrades needed to support 152 GW of renewable projects.

(Reporting by Sethuraman N R; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)