September 21, 2025

Hold on to your hats, India’s renewable energy scene is cooking up a spicy change! The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) is ready to shake things up by rebidding nearly 46 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind power projects. Why? Because these projects are stuck, waiting for power purchase agreements (PPAs) to be signed — and the delays are piling up. Here’s the masala: Around 16 GW, or 35%, of these unsigned PPAs are plain vanilla solar power projects. MNRE wants to remix these projects by adding Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). This smart combo means solar and wind energy won’t just work during sunny or windy hours, but Discoms can also use power anytime — especially during peak demand non-solar hours. As a senior source explained, “The right mix for addressing their (Discoms) daytime requirement and peak demand will have to happen through firm and despatchable RE (FDRE) or round-the-clock (RTC) supply. So, to that extent Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is now reformulating its bidding system and bidding guidelines. It is trying to address the actual requirement of Discoms.” Basically, no more power only when the sun shines or wind blows; power that’s ready to punch anytime! The story behind this is the hike in renewable energy bids because of the government’s target to invite bids for 50 GW every year from FY24 to FY28. But here lies the problem: Discoms aren’t biting on vanilla solar or wind alone anymore. They want steady, round-the-clock supply — and that’s why SECI's new bids now focus on FDRE, RTC, and solar-plus-storage packages. To add extra flavor, the government might allow developers to give up long-stuck projects without losing their bank guarantees! Previously, dropping a project meant losing those guarantees, but now MNRE is thinking about cutting some slack, returning the guarantees if developers surrender projects before a certain cut-off date. According to a report by JM Financial on August 5, about 46 GW of renewable energy capacity is idle because Discoms have not signed PPAs. Big players like NTPC and NHPC hold the biggest chunk of these unsigned projects — 16 GW and 12 GW, respectively — followed by SECI and SJVN, each with 9 GW. New & Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi has been pushing states to speed up the signing process. But with these reforms, reshaped bids, and battery storage thrown into the mix, India is set to power its green dreams with smarter, stronger, and more flexible renewable energy. So, will this electrifying plan zap away the delays? Time will tell, but MNRE’s spicy rebid recipe sure sounds like the jolt Indian clean energy needs!

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Tags: Renewable energy, Solar power, Wind power, Ppas, Battery energy storage, Discoms,