Power-starved Tamil Nadu recently unveiled an ambitious solar policy with the aim of adding three gigawatt of solar power within the next three years from almost nothing now, the steepest target for any Indian state.
But the aggression and manner of the rollout are bothering those in the industry who worry that there are too many risks. The main criticism pertains to the haste with which the state wants to put up solar projects.
Tamil Nadu has said projects must be commissioned within eight months of signing the power purchase agreement. Under the Union government’s National Solar Mission, on the other hand, this is 18 months. It’s far more difficult to set up a project in Tamil Nadu, considering the onus on land acquisition rests with the developers.
The urgency was obvious in a pre-bid meeting on Wednesday at the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation headquarters in Chennai. There were a slew of queries from prospective developers, mainly on land acquisition and evacuation infrastructure.
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