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					</table><p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bjp-congress-renewables-2024-election-manifestos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ahead of the seven-phase elections to the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament, starting April 17, 2024, the two major political parties</strong></a> in the fray have committed themselves to implementing a plethora of energy transition initiatives. In their manifestos, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Indian National Congress have outlined their vision for adopting renewable energy to achieve energy independence. The manifesto of the BJP, which has been governing India since 2014 and is seeking a third consecutive term, has detailed programs it plans to undertake on the renewable energy front.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mahindra-susten-wind-solar-hybrid-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Solar engineering, procurement, and construction company </strong><strong>Mahindra Susten</strong><strong>, in collaboration with the </strong><strong>Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board</strong><strong>, said it will develop</strong></a> a 150 MW hybrid renewable power project involving an investment of ₹12 billion (~$143.8 million). The project will comprise ~101 MW of wind and ~52 MW of solar capacity, the company said in a bourse filing. Scheduled for commissioning within the next two years, it will incorporate over 80% locally manufactured components. Upon completion, the project will supply clean energy to commercial and industrial customers in Maharashtra, generating around 460 million kWh of energy and offsetting nearly 420,000 tons of CO2 emissions.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/solar-storage-wind-queues-as-backlog-rises" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nearly 12,000 power projects, an overwhelming majority based on renewable sources, representing a combined capacity of 1,570 GW and 1,030 GW for storage</strong></a>, are in interconnection queues in the U.S. Renewable sources constitute 95% of the total capacity in the active queue. Over 94% or about 1,480 GW of the proposed generation capacity is zero-carbon, according to a recent Berkeley Lab report. Utilities and regional grid operators mandate that projects wishing to link to the grid must undergo a sequence of assessments before construction. This procedure determines the potential necessity for new grid system enhancements before a project can integrate into the system, estimating and allocating the associated equipment costs.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: BJP, Congress Bet Big on Renewables in Election Manifestos


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					</table><p>Ahead of the seven-phase elections to the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament, starting April 17, 2024, the two major political parties in the fray have committed themselves to implementing a plethora of energy transition initiatives.</p>
<p>In their manifestos, the ruling <a href="https://www.bjp.org/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bharatiya Janata Party</a> (BJP) and the Opposition <a href="https://www.inc.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian National Congress</a> have outlined their vision for adopting renewable energy to achieve energy independence.</p>
<p>The manifesto of the BJP, which has been governing India since 2014 and is seeking a third consecutive term, has detailed programs it plans to undertake on the renewable energy front.</p>
<p>The BJP has promised to ensure ‘energy independence’ by 2047 and reduce petroleum imports through a mix of electric mobility, a network of charging stations, renewable energy generation, and improved energy efficiency.</p>
<p>By implementing the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the party said it will enable homes nationwide to run devices like electric stoves, fans, air conditioners, televisions and electric vehicle charging through solar energy.</p>
<p>In February, the Union Cabinet <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cabinet-approves-new-rooftop-solar-subsidy-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the program to install rooftop solar systems in 10 million households, with a total outlay of ₹750.21 billion (~$9.05 billion) until the financial year 2025-26.</p>
<p>“We will harness Bharat’s renewable energy potential, targeting 500 GW of renewable energy through the establishment of mega solar parks, wind parks, and the Green Energy Corridor project, among others,” the BJP has said.</p>
<p>Among other significant promises, the BJP wants to incentivize private sector investment in large-scale battery energy storage systems infrastructure to foster renewable energy integration, grid stability, and resilience.</p>
<p>Other key points from the BJP’s manifesto are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Increasing ethanol blending in petrol to mitigate environmental degradation while providing additional income to farmers</li>
<li>Expanding green hydrogen production and developing technologies to make India a major green hydrogen production hub</li>
<li>Establishing smart grids incorporating smart meters and control centres for efficient and intelligent energy management</li>
<li>Setting up a centre of excellence for clean energy technologies, positioning the country as a global manufacturing hub for wind, solar and green hydrogen, and scaling bio-energy manufacturing facilities from all types of waste</li>
<li>Accelerating the PM e-Bus Seva initiative by introducing e-buses in more cities</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Congress to Mobilize Green Energy Capital</strong></p>
<p>The Congress Party committed itself to mobilizing the massive capital required for India’s green energy transition and achieve the goal of net zero by 2070. The party plans to set up the Green Transition Fund of India together with state governments and the private sector.</p>
<p>“We will launch a Green New Deal Investment Program focused on renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and the creation of green jobs,” the party said.</p>
<p>A parliamentary committee had said India would <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/renewables-sector-needs-an-annual-investment-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">need</a> an annual investment of ₹1.5-₹2 trillion (~$19.72-~$26.29 billion) in the renewable energy sector until 2030, compared to the ₹750 billion (~$9.86 billion) estimated earlier.</p>
<p>The Congress said it would launch a major program to install solar panels connected to tube wells to generate energy and promote solar-powered engines for tapping groundwater for agriculture.</p>
<p>“We will promote green energy. We will implement renewable energy schemes that will make the panchayats or municipality self-sufficient in electricity as far as possible. We will promote solar-powered engines for tapping groundwater for agriculture,” the Congress manifesto said.</p>
<p>It also promised to incentivize panchayats to establish and maintain solar grids to generate power for common purposes and create jobs at the panchayat level.</p>


BJP, Congress Bet Big on Renewables in 2024 Election Manifestos

<p>Former IAS officer turned bureaucrat politician R.K. Singh has returned as the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New &amp; Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MNRE</a>) under team Modi 2.0.</p>
<p>He emphasized that the focus of this term would be to provide round the clock power in a consistent and economically sustainable manner to everyone, as envisioned by the previous Modi government.</p>
<p>In a media interaction, Singh said that his priorities would be to ensure quality, reliability, and affordability of power. He further said that &#8220;We will overcome the challenges and would maintain the pace of growth in the power sector.&#8221;</p>
<p>He also mentioned key priorities, such as improving India’s energy mix and working on the challenges faced by the renewable energy sector.</p>
<p>He will also look after the additional portfolio of Minister of State (MoS) Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the new cabinet.</p>
<p>Singh is currently a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) from Arrah constituency in Bihar. In 2014, he was elected as Lok Sabha MP from the same seat.</p>
<p>Singh was the Union Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy in the previous cabinet since September 2017 after replacing Mr. Piyush Goyal. The <a href="https://mercomindia.com/pm-modi-saubhagya-deadline-missed-december/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">household electrification program</a>, SAUBHAGYA, was launched under his leadership. As per records, around 26.3 million families were provided electrification under this program pegged at a project cost of ₹1,632 million ($23.54). Mercom has reported consistently on the progress made by the government under SAUBHAGYA universal electrification program.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-industry-reacts-modi-win-elections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recently</a>, Mercom talked to various stakeholders after the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) came back into power for a second term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The industry’s popular sentiment is buoyant with the return of BJP as it implies that the policies and other developmental works underway in the sector would carry on seamlessly.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Image credit: PIB</p>


RK Singh Returns as the Union Power Minister Under PM Modi’s New Cabinet

<p>The recent state elections have challenged the status quo in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram. The upheaval is now apparent in Rajasthan’s politics, especially its renewable energy department with the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation’s (<a href="http://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/rrecl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RRECL</a>) Director and Managing Director Basant Kumar Dosi, resigning with immediate effect.</p>
<p>Following the election verdict, it was expected that the change in government might also lead to a change in the state’s outlook towards implementing various policies and programs. But this sudden development seems nothing short of a shock to the state’s renewable department.</p>
<p>According to the resignation letter which has been reviewed by Mercom, the administrator has not provided any particular reason for his resignation.</p>
<p>Rajasthan state government had also nominated Dosi as Director of Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam Limited, Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan Limited, Essel Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan Limited, and Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan Limited.</p>
<p>The industry is hoping this will not have any adverse effect on the auctions that are coming up in Rajasthan.</p>
<p>Now after his resignation, the RRECL has to look for a worthy replacement and this may take time and result in delays in the renewable energy sector in the state of Rajasthan.</p>
<p>One third of all large-scale solar installations in the country are in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana.</p>
<p>Rajasthan is India’s biggest state in terms of area and has the most attractive solar insolation levels in the country and has installed around 3 GW of large-scale solar projects, which is nearly 13 percent of all large-scale solar installations in the country. The biggest solar power project in the state is Bhadla Solar Park.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/recent-state-elections-impact-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercom previously reported</a> that solar was not directly mentioned in any election manifesto but state elections may impact solar growth trajectory. Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group had said, “The hope is that solar development in these states continue unabated, though it is not clear how supportive the new governments will be of solar and renewable energy power targets in general.”</p>


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