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Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Criticizes MERC for Denying Petitioner Relief

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					</table>Power Grid Corporation of India (<a href="https://www.powergrid.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PGCIL</a>) has won an inter-state transmission system (ISTS) project to evacuate 5.5 GW of renewable energy from the Jaisalmer/Barmer Complex.
REC Power Development and Consultancy (RECPDCL) conducted the tariff-based competitive bidding process to establish the “Transmission System for evacuation of power from Rajasthan REZ Phase IV (Part 2: 5.5 GW) (Jaisalmer/Barmer Complex): Part H1” on a build, own operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.
The project involves establishing a new 765/400/220 kV substation at Kurawar, 765 kV &amp; 400 kV D/C Transmission Lines, and associated bay extension works at other existing substations in Madhya Pradesh.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Solar Energy Corporation of India have identified renewable energy zones in eight states with a total capacity of 181.5 GW for implementation by 2030. This includes 75 GW renewable energy potential in Rajasthan, comprising 15 GW wind and 60 GW solar.
A comprehensive transmission program for the evacuation of 75 GW of renewable energy capacity has already been developed in Rajasthan. This includes the transmission system for the evacuation of 5.5 GW  from the Jaisalmer/Barmer Complex.
In September 2024, PFC Consulting <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pgcil-bags-bhadla-transmission-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chose</a> PGCIL to develop an ISTS project to expand the transformation capacity of the Jam Khambhaliya Power Station in Gujarat.
RECPDCL also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pgcil-bags-bhadla-transmission-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handed</a> over Bhadla-III Power Transmission to PGCIL at a cost of ₹64.2 million (~$765,151). The project involves developing an additional 20 GW transmission system to evacuate power from Bhadla-III PS as part of the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Zone Phase-III on a BOOT basis.
PGCIL had also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pgcil-bags-transmission-projects-to-evacuate-5-5-gw-of-renewable-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bagged</a> two other power transmission projects in Rajasthan through tariff-based competitive bidding to evacuate 5.5 GW of power from renewable energy zones in the state.
In August, the Central Electricity Authority <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cea-seeks-stakeholder-inputs-planning-guidelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a draft amendment to the “Manual on Transmission Planning Criteria, 2023.” The document outlines the planning procedures and criteria for developing the electricity transmission system in India.

PGCIL Bags Project to Evacuate 5.5 GW Renewable Energy from Rajasthan

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					</table>Adani Green Energy Ltd (<a href="https://www.adanigreenenergy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AGEL</a>), the renewables arm of the Adani Group, said its fourth wind-solar hybrid power project has become fully operational at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
With the operationalization of the 700 MW project, Adani Green now has the largest operating renewable portfolio in India with 8,024 MW.
The project is housed under AGEL’s 100% subsidiary, Adani Hybrid Energy Jaisalmer Four Limited.
The hybrid power project  has a power purchase agreement at a tariff of ₹3.24 (~$0.03)/kWh for 25 years.
The new hybrid power project consists of a combination of 600 MW solar and 510 MW wind capacity.
The project deploys advanced renewable technologies like bifacial solar photovoltaic modules and horizontal single-axis trackers systems to enable maximum electricity generation from solar energy, the company said.
The project is designed to deliver a capacity utilization factor of a minimum of 50%.
With this project, Adani Green’s operating wind-solar hybrid portfolio has now reached 2,140 MW.
In May 2022, the company had operationalized a hybrid power project of 390 MW. This was followed by the commissioning of another co-located hybrid power project of 600 MW in September 2022 and the third hybrid power project of 450 MW in December 2022.
All three of these hybrid energy generation assets are located in Jaisalmer.
Adani Green <a href="https://mercomindia.com/adani-greens-profit-surges-hybrid-capacity-addition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a net profit of ₹1.03 billion (~$12.4 million) for the third quarter of the financial year 2022-23, a 110% surge over the previous year.
Recently, United States-based equity investment firm GQG Partners <a href="https://mercomindia.com/gqg-partners-invests-adani-companies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">closed</a> a major deal involving a series of secondary block trade transactions amounting to ₹154.46 billion (~$1.87 billion) in the Adani Group companies including Adani Green.
Recently, Adani Green was <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sri-lanka-awards-wind-power-projects-adani-green/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> the letter of approval for two wind energy projects to be developed in the Mannar and Ponneryn areas of northern Sri Lanka. The two projects will be developed at a total investment of $442 million.
The wind energy project to be developed in Mannar will operate at a capacity of 250 MW, and the other project in Pooneryn will operate at a capacity of 100 MW, according to the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.

Adani Green’s Operating Renewables Portfolio Crosses 8 GW

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					</table>The <a href="https://hcraj.nic.in/hcraj/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan High Court</a> has dismissed petitions filed by the Jal Grahan Vikas Sanstha and villagers of Riwadi in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, challenging the state government&#8217;s decision to allot land to SBE Renewables Ten Projects for a solar project.
The court directed the petitioners to pay an amount of ₹50,000 (~$639), which will be deposited with the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority, failing which the District Collector, Jaisalmer, should take steps for recovery of the money. The court also asked the authorities to ensure no persons with vested interests obstruct the commissioning of the solar projects in the area.
Background
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (<a href="https://www.seci.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SECI</a>) issued the letter of award to SBE Renewables Ten Projects to set up an interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected wind-solar hybrid power projects (Tranche-I) of 450 MW capacity.
The power purchase agreement (PPA) was signed on December 31, 2019, between SECI and the solar project developer, and the project was to be commissioned within 18 months. This date was later extended to June 2022 because of the intervening situation created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The state government had approved the allotment of land to the company on lease. The petitioners opposed the allotment of the land.
The petitioners said that the action of the district collector, Jaisalmer, to allot the land, apart from being illegal, was also highly detrimental to the areas of the Riwadi because it would adversely affect the conservation of land and obstruct the free flow and collection of rainwater.
The state government, in its reply, said that the entire chunk of land allotted was owned by it, and any restricted category of water bodies covered no part of it. The land allotted to the solar company was entered as &#8216;banjar&#8217; (fallow) in the revenue records.
The petitioners argued that the land in question was covered by prohibited categories under the relevant statutes and not available for allotment.
Court&#8217;s analysis
The court said there had been intentional concealment of facts by the petitioners. It observed that the petitioners had argued that the land in question comprised of catchment areas, water tanks, and ponds, and thus, under the restrictions imposed by the Rules of 2007, the land was not available for allotment.
The High Court rejected the contention that the land in question was in the category of restricted land
It also said that the village Riwadi was located in the extreme western part of the state covered under the Thar Desert. As such, no significant greenery or foliage ever existed in the area.
Recently, the Rajasthan Cabinet <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rajasthan-allot-land-to-adani-for-gw-solar-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided</a> to allot 2,397.54 hectares of government land in Bandha village of Jaisalmer district to Adani Renewables&#8217; special purpose vehicle — Adani Renewable Energy Holding Four, to set up a 1,000 MW solar power project.
Earlier, the Rajasthan High Court had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rajasthan-high-court-cancels-allotment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled</a> the allotment of public utility land measuring 1,452 bighas (581.56 acres) near Pokhran in Jaisalmer to the Adani Renewable Energy Park.
Subscribe to Mercom&#8217;s real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates</a> to ensure you don&#8217;t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.

Rajasthan High Court Upholds Government’s Land Allotment for a Solar Project

Adani Hybrid Energy Jaisalmer One, a subsidiary of Adani Green Energy (<a href="https://www.adanigreenenergy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AGEL</a>), has commissioned a 390 MW wind-solar hybrid power generation project in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
The project is part of the 1.2 GW wind-solar hybrid tender by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). SECI <a href="https://mercomindia.com/seci-tender-solar-hybrid-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued the</a> tender in February 2019 with a ceiling tariff of ₹2.70 (~$0.038/kWh). The tender had been <a href="https://mercomindia.com/secis-solar-wind-tender-undersubscribed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undersubscribed</a> by 300 MW due to the aggressive tariff cap. As a result, 80% of the capacity bid was awarded (720 MW). In the auction held in May 2019, Adani <a href="https://mercomindia.com/adani-lowest-tariff-seci-hybrid-auction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the bid to develop 600 MW at a tariff of ₹2.69 (~$0.034)/kWh.
The project will cater to the rising power demand of Rajasthan while harnessing the full potential of renewable energy.
Adani Green&#8217;s total operational renewables capacity reached 5.8 GW with the commissioning of the hybrid power project. It has a total renewable portfolio of 20.4 GW, placing Adani Group on track to meet its target of 45 GW capacity by 2030.
Speaking on the development, AGEL&#8217;s MD and CEO, Vneet S. Jaain, said, &#8220;The commissioning of our hybrid plant is an incremental step towards meeting India&#8217;s sustainable energy goals. We are extremely proud of our team&#8217;s unrelenting effort to deliver India&#8217;s first wind-solar hybrid plant. This project is a part of the first construction facility by international banks in Adani Green. It is commendable that the project was successfully executed amidst the uncertainties imposed by the global pandemic.&#8221;
Adani Green Energy has taken significant measures to ramp up its renewable operations in India and overseas. Adani Green was the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/renew-adani-azure-top-utility-solar-developers-2021/">top</a> utility-scale solar developer (both cumulative operational and under-development capacity) in India as of December 2021, according to Mercom&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-india-solar-market-leaderboard-2022-market-shares-and-profiles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Market Leaderboard 2022</a>. Adani Green&#8217;s installed capacity in 2021 included a 150 MW solar project in Kutch, Gujarat.
Adani&#8217;s acquisitions in 2021 include the renewable projects of Essel Green Energy, Sterling &amp; Wilson, SkyPower Global, and Hindustan Power.
Adani recently<a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-adani-renew-invest-renewable-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> signed</a> a memorandum of understanding with the government of Andhra Pradesh to develop green energy projects in the state with an investment of ₹600 million(~$7.73 billion). Under the agreement, AGEL would deploy renewable energy projects of 10 GW capacity and pumped hydro storage projects totaling 3.7 GW capacity in Andhra Pradesh to provide power round the clock.

Adani Green’s 390 MW Wind-Solar Hybrid Project With Tariff of ₹2.69/kWh Commissioned

The Rajasthan High Court has canceled the allotment of public utility land measuring 1,452 bighas (581.56 acres) near Pokhran in Jaisalmer to the Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan (AREPRL).
According to Mercom&#8217;s sources, the Adani Renewable Energy Park has two land parcels totaling about 13,000 bighas (8,125 acres) near Pokhran in Jaisalmer. The petition involves around 6,115 bighas (3,821 acres) falling under the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) conservation area in Rajasthan.
The Rajasthan High Court&#8217;s division bench has also directed the state government to survey the land parcels allotted to Adani and Essel Surya Urja Company of Rajasthan Limited in three villages — Naden, Ugras, and Nagnechinagar.
The court also ordered to revoke the allotment of these lands in case any part of it was allocated on public utilities.
The court further noted that the state government would also review the land allocation around the plots of the petitioners, other khatedar tenants (a tenant recognized under the Rajasthan Tenancy, 1955), and the land of public utilities. The review aims to ensure that their rights are not infringed on account of land allotments to Essel and Adani.
The court also ordered that the space for the approach road to the lands of khatedar tenants and the hutments of the village&#8217;s inhabitants would be specifically set apart and entered in the revenue record for the said purpose.
The court ordered that the state government complete the entire exercise within six weeks from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order.
Case background
Rajasthan government had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/adani-1-5-gw-rajasthan-solar-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allocated</a> the land to Adani in 2018. The parcel in question was a stretch of land in Nedan village of Pokhran village and sold to the Adani group company at around ₹135 million (~$1.77 million). Farmers at the Nedan village challenged this land allocation.
According to recent reports, the parcel was earlier marked as agricultural land, which was listed as barren land through an executive order on May 30, 2017, allowing the state to hand it over to Adani for the solar park.
The farmers objected to the allocation since, as per rule, lands reserved for cultivation cannot be allotted for any other purposes. They insisted that the entire 3,821 acres were neither wasteland nor barren. Farmers have been cultivating the land for several years, the petition claimed.
The petitioners also objected to the allocation as it may have a fatal impact on the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard in the region. The land in question is adjacent to Rasla village, known as Rasla Park, reserved for conserving endangered species.
In April this year, the <a href="https://main.sci.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court of India</a> <a href="https://mercomindia.com/overhead-powerlines-underground-great-indian-bustard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directed</a> the appropriate authorities to install diverters in the habitats of the Great Indian Bustard and convert the overhead cables to underground powerlines wherever feasible. The conversion to underground powerlines should be completed within one year from the date of the order, and until such time the diverters should be hung from the existing powerlines.
In February 2019 too, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-wind-developers-safety-bustard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a circular to retrofit transmission lines and wind turbines to avoid bird collision in Great Indian Bustard habitats of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Rajasthan High Court Cancels Allotment of Public Utility Land to Developer for Solar Park

The Gas Authority of India Limited (<a href="http://gailonline.com/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GAIL</a>) has issued an annual domestic bidding contract for the operation and maintenance of a 5 MW solar PV project at Ramgarh, Jaisalmer. The tender stipulates that the duration of these services will be for three years.
The solar project is developed under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Solar Mission, batch -II, phase-I, utilizing multi-crystalline solar PV modules.
The bid submission deadline for this tender is July 27, 2019, with the bid opening date slated for the same day. A pre-bid meeting has been set for July 15, 2019.
An eligible bidder should have completed at least one single work order consisting of operation and maintenance services for at least 2.5 MW of solar power projects in the preceding seven years.
The detailed scope of work includes comprehensive annual maintenance, including the deployment of resources, consumables, spares, and facilities for scheduling and forecasting.
The earnest money deposit required for this tender is ₹0.46 million ($6,715), and the annual turnover required to participate in this tender has been set at ₹3.83 million ($55,957) for the preceding three years. The tender has specified that micro and small enterprises will be exempt from submitting the earnest money deposit.
Last year, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/gail-commissions-5-76-mw-dcr-category-rooftop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mercom</a> had reported about GAIL commissioning a 5.76 MW grid-connected rooftop solar project developed under the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) category. The project was developed on the roof area of GAIL Petrochemical Complex at Pata, Uttar Pradesh.
<a href="http://gailonline.com/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gail Limited</a> is the largest state-owned natural gas processing and distribution company in India having diverse business segments like natural gas, liquid hydrocarbon, liquefied petroleum gas transmission, petrochemical, city gas distribution, exploration and production, and electricity generation. It was conferred with the Maharatna status on February 1, 2013, by the Government of India.

GAIL Issues Tender for Operation and Maintenance of a 5 MW Solar Project in Jaisalmer

The Military Engineering Services (MES) has tendered a 3 MW solar project to be developed at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The bid-submission deadline is August 18, 2017.
The scope of work includes, design, engineering, supply, erection, installation, and commissioning of the project. The estimated project cost is Rs.180 million (~$2.8 million) and the project completion timeframe is 365 days from the date of award of contract.
In July, the MES had also tendered a 3 MW solar project at <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mes-tenders-3-mw-solar-project-ezhimala-kerala/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ezhimala</a>, Kerala.

Military Engineering Services Tenders a 3 MW Solar Project in Jaisalmer

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) has fixed the levelized generic tariff for wind power projects to be commissioned in financial year (FY) 2017-18 in Rajasthan.
The RERC stated in a <a href="http://rerc.rajasthan.gov.in/TariffOrders/Order268.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">release</a>, “The levelized tariff has been determined for the useful life of the wind power projects, 25 years.”
The RERC has fixed Rs.5.26 (~$0.0814)/kWh without accelerated depreciation (AD) and Rs.4.87 (~$0.0754)/kWh with AD as levelized generic tariff for wind projects located in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Barmer districts of Rajasthan. The RERC has also fixed Rs.5.52 (~$0.0854)/kWh without AD and Rs.5.12 (~$0.0792)/kWh with AD as levelized generic tariff for wind projects located in other districts of Rajasthan.
“The RERC has determined different rates for different districts as there’s a difference of 1 percent in the capacity utilization factor (CUF) of projects being developed in the windy districts of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Barmer, and other districts in the state,” said an RERC official.
The tariffs will be applicable for wind power projects commissioned on or after April 1, 2017, and up to March 31, 2018.
Image Credit: By Joost J. Bakker from IJmuiden (Windmills on a barge  Uploaded by Oxyman), <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0">CC BY 2.0</a>, via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wind_turbines_on_a_barge.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>

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