Telangana Invites Bids for DPR of 56 MW Solar Projects

Solarium Green Bags 7 MW Rooftop Solar Contract from NVVN

Classic Signages Wins NVVN’s 6.3 MW Solar Project Auction

Alpex Solar Posts 423% YoY Profit Increase in Q3, Expands Module Capacity  

ReNew’s Q3 FY 2025 Revenue Up Slightly, Lower Wind PLF Bites

Daily News Wrap-Up: Government Amends Renewable Project Bidding Guidelines

CERC Adopts Tariffs for SECI’s 1.2 GW Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Projects

Vikram Solar Boosts Module Production with 1 GW Expansion in West Bengal

Madhya Pradesh Floats Tenders for 2.21 MW Rooftop Solar Projects

Record 1.7 GW Community Solar Added in the U.S. in 2024; Long-Term Growth Uncertain


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/amazon_polly_73962.mp3?version=1734499823">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cbic-revokes-warehousing-imported-solar-goods" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has revoked the permission granted to solar developers to warehouse imported solar modules effective from December 17, 2024.</a> CBIC ruled that goods imported for solar power generation will not be allowed to undergo any manufacturing processes or operations in a warehouse. Any value addition, assembly, or process within bonded warehouses under Section 65 of the Customs Act that ultimately produces electricity is now prohibited.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/green-steel-taxonomy-and-ratings-decarbonize-faster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Indian government has developed a framework for defining green steel to help decarbonize the hard-to-abate steel industry and make it globally competitive.</a> The Taxonomy of Green Steel, unveiled by the Ministry of Steel and touted as a global first, has set the emissions intensity at 2.2 tons of CO2 equivalent per ton of finished steel. Only steel conforming to this standard will be given a green rating. The threshold limit for defining the star rating of green steel will be reviewed every three years, and the scope of emissions will include Scope 1, Scope 2, and a limited Scope 3 up to finished steel production.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sjvn-invites-bids-to-enlist-channel-partners-for-1-46-mw-rooftop-solar-systems" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SJVN has issued two tenders to select channel partners for installing a cumulative 1.46 MW capacity of grid-connected rooftop solar systems on residential buildings under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Arunachal Pradesh</a>. The last date to submit bids is January 7, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day. The bid document costs ₹5,900 (~$69.50). Besides supply, installation, and maintenance of the project for five years, the scope of work for both tenders includes identifying potential beneficiaries under the PM Surya Ghar program and making them aware of the program’s benefits. The channel partners will also act as aggregators of the requests received on the program’s national portal.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sterlite-power-raises-gef-capital-enam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sterlite Power, a Mumbai-based power transmission company, has raised ₹7.25 billion (~$87 million) from GEF Capital Partners and ENAM Holdings for its Global Products and Solutions (GPS) business in a primary fundraising round</a>. This round marks the first significant fundraising for Sterlite’s GPS business since its demerger as an independent entity in October 2024. The company aims to use the funds raised to drive its ongoing capital expenditure, grow production capabilities, and accelerate new product development aligned with its renewable energy integration and decarbonization goals. Additionally, the company aims to expand its GPS business beyond the 70 countries it already serves.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/insolation-energy-7-gw-solar-manufacturing-madhya-pradesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaipur-based solar module manufacturer Insolation Energy has been allotted 45 acres of land by the Madhya Pradesh government to establish a solar manufacturing facility</a>. The proposed facility will have 3 GW solar cell manufacturing, 4 GW solar module manufacturing, and 24,000 metric tons aluminum frame manufacturing capacity. This project will be executed by INA’s subsidiary, Insolation Green Energy, in the Power and Renewable Energy Equipment Zone in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh. The project will be implemented in two phases and require a total investment of ₹18 billion (~$211.98 million). The new manufacturing unit marks INA’s first facility outside Rajasthan and its fourth overall.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/imfa-announces-joint-venture-with-jsw-to-source-70-mw-renewable-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ferroalloy producer Indian Metals &amp; Ferro Alloys (IMFA) has announced a joint venture with JSW Green Energy to source 70 MW of renewable energy for its smelting operations.</a> IMFA has signed a binding term sheet with JSW Green Energy One and JSW Green Energy Seven, investing ₹832.6 million (~$9.8 million) in a wind-solar hybrid project that combines 50 MW solar and 100 MW wind. The company will also sign a power purchase agreement as a captive consumer valid for 25 years.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/dcm-shriram-to-procure-68-mw-of-renewable-energy-from-jsws-hybrid-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diversified business group DCM Shriram will procure 68 MW of renewable energy from JSW Renew Energy Thirty-Two’s (a special-purpose vehicle of JSW Energy) wind-solar hybrid power project in Kota, Rajasthan</a>. The project will supply power to DCM Shriram’s factories in Kota and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Power procured from the hybrid project will replace 40 MW of coal-based thermal power. DCM Shriram will invest ₹600 million (~$7.06 million) in one or more special purpose vehicles of JSW to set up the wind-solar project for a 26% equity stake. DCM is already sourcing up to 43.8 MW of power from ReNew Power’s wind-solar hybrid project.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: CBIC Says No to Warehousing of Imported Solar Modules


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/amazon_polly_73889.mp3?version=1734929608">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>The Indian government has developed a framework for defining green steel to help decarbonize the hard-to-abate steel industry and make it globally competitive.</p>
<p>The Taxonomy of Green Steel, unveiled by the <a href="https://steel.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Steel</a> (Steel Ministry) and touted as a global first, has set the emissions intensity at 2.2 tons of CO2 equivalent per ton of finished steel. Only steel conforming to this standard will be given a green rating.</p>
<p>Based on the ‘greenness,’ steel will now be rated as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>Five-star green-rated steel: Steel with an emission intensity lower than 1.6 tons of CO2 per ton.</li>
<li>Four-star green-rated steel: Steel with an emission intensity between 1.6 and 2.0 tons per ton.</li>
<li>Three-star green-rated steel: Steel with an emission intensity between 2 and 2.2 tons of CO2 per ton.</li>
</ul>
<p>The threshold limit for defining the star rating of green steel will be reviewed every three years, and the scope of emissions will include Scope 1, Scope 2, and a limited Scope 3 up to finished steel production.</p>
<p>Scope 3 emissions will include agglomeration (including sintering, pellet making, and coke making), beneficiation, and embodied emissions in purchased raw materials and intermediary products, but excludes upstream mining, downstream emissions, and transportation emissions, both within and outside the gates of a steel plant.</p>
<p>The Steel Ministry has designated the National Institute of Secondary Steel Technology (NISST) as the nodal agency for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) and for issuing greenness certificates and star ratings for steel.</p>
<p>Green-rated steel certificates will specify the plant name, embodied emissions at the finished steel level, greenness percentage at the finished steel level, star rating of the steel, and quantity.</p>
<p>The methodology for emissions MRV, as published by the <a href="https://beeindia.gov.in/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bureau of Energy Efficiency</a>, under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, will apply.</p>
<p>Steel plants will have to register with NISST to obtain greenness certificates and star ratings for their products.</p>
<p>The green-rated steel certificates will be issued every financial year. If steel plants opt for MRV more frequently, these certificates can be issued more than once a year.</p>
<p>The NISST will maintain a registry of green-rated steel.</p>
<p><strong>Indian Steel Sector’s Emissions</strong></p>
<p>India is the world&#8217;s second-largest crude steel producer after China, with a capacity to produce 179.5 million tons of crude steel and the largest production capacity of sponge iron at 55 million tons in the financial year (FY) 2024.</p>
<p>The emissions intensity of steel produced in India is 2.54 tons of CO2/ ton, significantly higher than the global average of 1.91. The steel industry accounts for 10-12% of India’s total emissions.</p>
<p>India has been taking several initiatives to cut emissions in the steel industry, which has set a target of achieving net zero by 2070. However, this is the first time the government has clearly defined what constitutes green steel.</p>
<p>In the short term, the government has been <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/government-mulls-mandating-green-steel-public-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoting</a> using renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the steel-making process to minimize emissions by 2030. As of FY 2022, renewable energy penetration is estimated to be 7.2% of the total electricity requirement in the steel sector.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://powermin.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Power</a> has notified a renewable purchase obligation of 43.33% for steel producers by 2030. The renewable energy penetration in the steel sector is projected to rise to 16.3% from the current 7.2%.</p>
<p>The green steel taxonomy is expected to help the Indian industry navigate the challenges posed by measures like the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (<a href="https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/news/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism-cbam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBAM</a>), which imposes a carbon tariff on imported products.</p>
<p>India has <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/india-voices-concern-over-europes-carbon-tariff-measure-at-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voiced</a> concerns about CBAM in international forums like the World Trade Organization. However, the domestic steel sector is rapidly transitioning to using renewable energy sources like solar and wind to cut emissions and become globally competitive.</p>
<p>In the first nine months of the calendar year 2024, India <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/solar-open-access-capacity-surges-to-4-8-gw-in-india-for-9m-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> an unprecedented 4.8 GW of solar open access capacity, driven by demand from commercial and industrial entities, including those in the steel sector, according to the Q3 2024 India Solar Open Access Market Report.</p>


Green Steel Taxonomy and Ratings Framework to Help Sector Decarbonize Faster


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/amazon_polly_59168.mp3?version=1696337851">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>A recent stakeholder meeting held by Minister of Steel Jyotiraditya Scindia emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to deploying renewable energy to decarbonize the steel industry.</p>
<p>Along with the use of renewable energy, the meeting organized by the <a href="https://steel.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steel Ministry</a> discussed pathways for the industry’s decarbonization through skill development and incentives.</p>
<p>The meeting brought together five of the 13 task forces, all aimed at fostering the green steel ecosystem in India, uniting a consortium of stakeholders, industry experts, and government officials to realize the aim of decarbonization of the steel industry landscape.</p>
<p>The meeting discussed customized decarbonization solutions covering both integrated steel plants and secondary facilities. The meeting also discussed financing options for green steel production, the use of natural gas and syngas instead of coal-based feedstock directly reduced iron plants to cut carbon emissions, and the need to empower educational institutions to meet the industry&#8217;s evolving skill demands.</p>
<p>The meeting was held at a time when the Indian steel industry has been voicing concerns that steel exports to the European Union could become uncompetitive because of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).</p>
<p>During the transitional phase of CBAM, which took effect on October 1, the tariff measure will <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/eu-adopts-rules-governing-carbon-tariff-measure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apply</a> only to imported products and commodities like iron and steel, cement, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen.</p>
<p>The EU rules detail the reporting obligations for importers of CBAM goods and the methodology to calculate embedded emissions released during the manufacture of goods from the source countries.</p>
<p>The Indian government is <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/government-mulls-mandating-green-steel-public-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering</a> the enforcement of green steel utilization in public projects as a vital step in reducing emissions and achieving carbon neutrality in the steel industry by 2070. The government has embarked on a string of initiatives to bring down carbon emissions in the steel industry and help it reach net zero by 2070. As a short-term measure, the government is already promoting the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the steel sector to minimize emissions by 2030.</p>


Deploying Renewable Energy Vital to Decarbonizing India’s Steel Industry


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/amazon_polly_46563.mp3?version=1671778176">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>The Government of India is considering mandating the use of ‘green steel’ in government projects with the goal of decarbonizing one of the most hard-to-abate sectors, Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Parliament this week.</p>
<p>Green steel or low-carbon steel is steel manufactured without the use of fossil fuels.</p>
<p>The government has embarked on a string of initiatives to bring down carbon emissions in the steel industry and help it reach net zero by 2070.</p>
<p>As a short-term measure, the government is already promoting the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the steel sector to minimize emissions by 2030.</p>
<p>For the medium term until 2047, the focus of the steel sector will be on green hydrogen and carbon capture. As part of the initiative, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has made the steel sector a stakeholder in the National Green Hydrogen Mission.</p>
<p>Carbon capture is still at a nascent stage of implementation in India, with only a few sectors, such as steel, having implemented small-scale carbon capture projects, according to India’s 2021 Biennial Update Reports (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change furnished by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.</p>
<p>The BUR says CO2 emissions from the iron and steel industries were showing a downward trajectory, reducing to 4.75% in 2016 from 5.99% in 2014.</p>
<p>In the long term (2047-2070), the government will encourage the steel industry to explore disruptive alternative technological innovations to help achieve the transition to net zero by 2070.</p>
<p>Several Indian steel manufacturers are switching to renewable energy in varying degrees to power their operations. Not only will the use of solar and wind energy cut the industries’ power costs, but also help decarbonize their operations.</p>
<p>In July, <a href="https://www.jsw.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JSW Steel</a> announced that it was <a href="https://mercomindia.com/jsw-steel-invest-%e2%82%b9100-billion-reduce-carbon-emissions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earmarking</a> ₹100 billion (~$1.26 billion) for carbon reduction initiatives, including increasing the use of renewable energy to replace thermal power. It has entered into power purchase agreements with special purpose vehicles set up by JSW Energy to procure renewable energy through the group captive model.</p>
<p>Earlier, steel giant <a href="https://corporate.arcelormittal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ArcelorMittal</a> <a href="https://mercomindia.com/arcelormittal-greenko-rtc-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entered</a> a strategic partnership with Greenko Group to develop a 975 MW ‘round the clock’ solar and wind energy project in Andhra Pradesh at an estimated cost of $600 million.</p>
<p>The global steel industry could <a href="https://mercomindia.com/steel-industry-carbon-emissions-bnef/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminate</a> carbon emissions by 2050 by investing $278 billion and using green hydrogen and recycling technologies, <a href="https://about.bnef.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BloombergNEF</a> (BNEF) said in a report last December.</p>


green-steel

Get the most relevant India solar and clean energy news.

RECENT POSTS