2 months ago
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The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has made a lawsuit earlier a parliamentary committee for a important enlargement of its administrative authorization implicit India’s renewable vigor sector, arguing that it should beryllium recognised arsenic the “Central Government” successful each matters pertaining to renewables nether the Electricity Act, 2003.
The demand, portion of a elaborate reply furnished to the committee successful February but made nationalist this month, successful effect to “stakeholder requests” for a standalone Renewable Energy Act, efficaciously seeks to redraw the organization boundaries betwixt the MNRE and the Ministry of Power, which presently exercises superior authorization implicit the Electricity Act’s provisions, including those governing grid-connected renewable energy.
As of January 31, 2026—the MNRE cited successful a submission—India has installed 271.96 GW of capableness from non-fossil substance sources, a small implicit fractional the country’s full installed procreation capableness of 520.50 GW. Of this, 263.18 GW is from renewable energy: 140.60 GW from solar, 54.65 GW from wind, 51.16 GW from ample hydro, 11.61 GW from bioenergy, and 5.16 GW from tiny hydro. Nuclear powerfulness accounts for the remaining 8.78 GW. The Ministry’s stated people is 500 GW of non-fossil capableness by 2030. However, the existent energy generated from non-fossil sources is astir 25%. The intermittent quality of renewable vigor sources and insufficient artillery retention means that lone ember powerfulness tin beryllium relied upon to supply accordant energy connected demand.
While the Ministry conceded that a abstracted Act was unnecessary arsenic energy from renewable sources is already integrated into the grid and governed nether the existing framework, it laid retired a sweeping database of empowerments it believes are needed to bring “institutional clarity and effectual administration” to the sector.
Among the astir consequential of these: MNRE wants the powerfulness to plan energy markets for renewable energy, hole and notify bidding guidelines for RE projects, framework tariff determination principles for the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), and usher the CERC connected matters related to renewables nether Section 107 of the Act. It has besides sought oversight of the readying and monitoring of Renewable Purchase Obligations, the mechanics that compels organisation companies and ample consumers to procure a minimum stock of their energy from cleanable sources. Several States are laggards successful these aspects.
The Ministry has further asked that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) coordinate with it portion framing regulations related to renewable energy, and that the National Committee connected Transmission enactment nether MNRE’s guidance—a important organization claim, fixed that transmission readying has traditionally been the turf of the Power Ministry and CEA.
The submission besides flags the request to bring vigor retention and flexibility resources wrong the renewable vigor framework, mandate RE experts connected each regulatory bodies and method institutions astatine some cardinal and State levels, and enforce statutory obligations connected transmission and organisation strategy operators to grow grid infrastructure for renewables.
The committee besides probed an administrative anomaly: portion capacities from ample hydropower projects are counted toward India’s renewable vigor targets and achievements, the ample hydro assemblage continues to beryllium administered by the Ministry of Power. MNRE, erstwhile asked astir this mismatch, argued that a unified administrative operation nether its power for each renewable sources—including ample hydro—would alteration “integrated argumentation formulation, holistic renewable vigor planning, sectoral synergy crossed each renewable vigor technologies, and improved coordination successful achieving nationalist renewable vigor and net-zero goals.”
Large hydropower was reclassified arsenic a renewable vigor root successful 2019, a determination driven partially by the tendency to inflate India’s RE capableness numbers. But the administrative follow-through—shifting governance to MNRE—never happened, creating a concern wherever targets and medication beryllium successful antithetic Ministries.
The MNRE besides weighed successful connected concerns astir decentralised and off-grid renewable energy. India’s stock of decentralised RE stands astatine astir 15%, compared to a planetary mean of astir 40%—a spread the committee flagged.
The MNRE acknowledged that nary abstracted argumentation model exists for off-grid and decentralised applications, which scope from biogas plants and star pumps to star dryers and acold storages successful agrarian areas. It noted that specified a argumentation “would beforehand sustainable deployment successful distant and agrarian areas, and supply regulatory clarity for decentralised renewable vigor ecosystems successful enactment with nationalist cleanable vigor objectives.”
