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LEADERSHIP SPEAK
Giant strides in the renewable energy sector Despite a heavy setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the RE sector is making a gradual turnaround. In an interaction with Jatindra Nath Swain, Chairman and MD – Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd, Ashok Thakur, Chief Editor – ETN, gains insights into the management of today’s most dynamic sector. Rooftop solar developers who are executing the projects are facing roof-accessibility constraints and delays in PPA signing with building owners/occupiers, due to the lockdown. The large-scale and medium-scale ground-mounted projects are also facing problems in acquiring land, in material supply, and in mobilising manpower. After the lifting of lockdown they are slowly coming back on track. Many of these may see a delay of 4-6 months in commissioning. Even inter-state transmission lines (ISTS) under execution are getting delayed and MNRE has granted suitable extension. Further facilitation will be done as per merit and requests.
Jatindra Nath Swain
Could you explain the measures taken up by SECI for timely implementation of solar power projects already awarded, especially considering the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain? SECI is closely monitoring the progress of all projects and attempting to address difficulties being faced by developers expeditiously. Since many projects are experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19 lockdown, a timeextension of two months has been provided by MNRE to ensure that developers are not unduly penalized. Besides, major issues are being flagged and interventions from the highest level are being sought to streamline work execution. Further, time extension to developers will also be given. It is clear that rooftop solar is the hardest hit. What is the impact on large and medium-scale gridconnected solar power projects?
Solar installations in the country stood at 36.5 GW as of March 2020. What has been the impact on SECI tenders and response to request for selection (RfS) amid the lockdown? SECI has endeavoured to maintain the momentum in tendering activities to the most feasible extent. Tender for 2.5 GW solar capacity was issued in April. Pre-bid meetings are being held in VC mode. Reverse auction for 400 MW RTC tender was successfully conducted in May, yielding an excellent firstyear tariff of `2.90/kWh. SECI has awarded 1.2 GW solar capacities in April and recently another 6 GW of
“SECI is working to set up its own generation plants to showcase new and innovative technologies.”
| May-June 2020
“The specific requirements of Discoms need to be identified to develop a bouquet of products involving storage.” solar capacity under manufacturinglinked solar tender. So much of the activities are on track. For certain activities such as bid submission, the deadlines have been extended suitably to account for lockdown related constraints faced by prospective bidders. Could you share the steps taken up by SECI to ensure business as usual despite the COVID situation? SECI has endeavored to maintain the momentum in tendering activities to the extent feasible while complying with government directives on work-from-home rule. Remote working has been permitted and normal activity has been ensured. SECI’s tendering system was already 100 percent online. Now pre-bid meetings and consultation are also being taken up through online mode. A stakeholder consultation is being planned to identify the way forward to provide flexible and firm RE power with a high plant load factor, in virtual mode. In a historic moment for SECI and MNRE, we saw the conclusion of the e-reverse auction (e-RA) for 400 MW RE projects with roundthe-clock (RTC) supply at a record first year tariff of `2.90/kWh; also the 1.2 GW Peak Power tender
