Rs 20,000 crore solar projects in Rajasthan hit as transmission limits trigger full curtailment

Nearly 4,300 MW of solar power capacity in Rajasthan is facing complete daytime curtailment due to inadequate transmission infrastructure, putting projects worth around Rs 20,000 crore at risk, industry sources said, reported PTI.

A total of 26 solar projects, developed by companies including Adani, ReNew, Serentica, Juniper, Zelestra, ACME and Amp Energy, are currently supplying power under the temporary general network access (T-GNA) framework, as their associated transmission systems are yet to be commissioned.

With available transmission margins exhausted, power generation from these plants has been fully curtailed during daytime hours, the sources said.

Data from the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) shows that Rajasthan has around 23 GW of commissioned renewable energy capacity, while its transmission capacity stands at about 18.9 GW. This entire transmission capacity has been allocated to projects with long-term general network access (GNA), leaving more than 4 GW of capacity operating under T-GNA without evacuation capability.

Industry officials said that despite the commissioning of the 765 kV Khetri-Narela transmission line, only about 600 MW of additional transmission capacity became available. At the same time, over 4,300 MW of capacity was operationalised under long-term GNA, exhausting the surplus transmission margins.

In an e-mail dated December 11, NRLDC withdrew the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the 26 projects following the commissioning of the Khetri-Narela line and the operationalisation of long-term GNA.

Developers warned that prolonged curtailment could severely impact project viability and debt servicing, and flagged the issue as a growing systemic risk as renewable generation capacity continues to outpace transmission additions in states such as Rajasthan.

Industry representatives have urged the government to consider short-term relief measures, including the implementation of a Special Protection Scheme (SPS) to improve evacuation under T-GNA, and dynamic reallocation of unused GNA margins to T-GNA projects during periods of low utilisation. They also called for the use of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) to maximise real-time transmission capacity and prevent renewable assets from turning stranded.

“Most of the 4.3 GW capacity is well within its notified connectivity start date. However, due to delay in commissioning of their ATS (associated transmission system), they are forced to deliver power under T-GNA. There is also no formal channel through which a generator can ascertain in advance about the additional transmission capacity that will be available from commissioning of a new line,” an industry official said.

The projects facing 100 per cent curtailment belong to multiple renewable power companies, including Adani, ReNew, Serentica, Juniper, Zelestra, ACME and Amp Energy.

According to sources, the government had earlier said that commissioning of the 765 kV Khetri-Narela transmission line would significantly reduce the 55 per cent peak-hour curtailment faced by renewable energy generators operating under the T-GNA arrangement.

“However, as per the latest Grid India data, after the addition of the Khetri-Narela line, only 600 MW of transmission capacity has been added in the system. But the Central Transmission Utility of India operationalised 4,375 MW of capacity under long-term GNA, which exhausted the entire surplus available capacity and left almost no transmission availability for projects operating under T-GNA,” said another official with a leading renewable energy company operating solar projects in Rajasthan.

An e-mail communication by NRLDC on December 11 said the No Objection Certificates for the 26 projects were withdrawn due to the commissioning of the 765 kV Khetri-Narela double-circuit lines and operationalisation of long-term GNA. “All above plants are requested not to violate the NOC in terms of Schedule or Actual,” the e-mail said.

Officials said that with limited evacuation available and no visibility on additional transmission capacity, the nearly 4 GW of renewable energy projects face serious concerns over project viability and debt servicing.

To avoid stranded capacity, the industry has proposed adopting a T-GNA-only approach for all future renewable energy capacity additions in Rajasthan until evacuation margins are demonstrably available, the head of a generating company said.

“Of the 23 GW operational renewable energy capacity in Rajasthan, the transmission capacity is 18.9 GW. If this was equitably distributed among all generators, the peak-hour curtailment would be only 15 per cent, which on an annualised basis would be insignificant for all generators,” he added.

Industry officials said the government must take immediate short-term relief measures to prevent complete shutdown. They pointed to the implementation of a Special Protection Scheme, which would allow transmission corridors to operate closer to their physical capability by mitigating the risk of sudden outages.

SPS prevents cascading failures by shedding minimal pre-identified generation only when essential, instead of pre-emptively curtailing the entire 4 GW.

They also called for dynamic reallocation of unused GNA margins, noting that during the winter season and periods of low generation, transmission capacity allocated under long-term GNA may not be fully utilised during peak hours. These unused margins, they said, should be diverted to T-GNA projects to improve evacuation.

“We recommend evaluating margins using DLR principles and allowing real-time reallocation of unused GNA margins to T-GNA generators to maximise system utilisation,” said the head of the generating company.