Blogs
Andhra Pradesh renegotiation attempt a mere bluster
10 July 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The new Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of the YSR Congress Party has made a sensational announcement seeking to renegotiate all renewable energy PPAs, review ‘must run’ status for the sector and cancel all...
Joint power council a permanent way out of the DISCOM bailout cycle
18 June 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
All eyes are on the new government as there is talk building up of an ambitious 100-day reform agenda. Expectations are rising now that the government has won a decisive mandate and there is pressure to deal with a multitude of macroeconomic troubles. It is reassuring to note that resolving DISCOM offtake risk seems high on the agenda of the new government. News sources quoting senior government...
On the long road to electric mobility revolution
11 June 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
On the long road to electric mobility revolution
Electric mobility is expected to be the next big frontier in energy transition. But the roadmap is fuzzy and the technical and financial challenges are so arduous that the Indian government is having difficulties in laying out a clear vision. After dismissing an earlier talk of
US tariffs to have nominal impact on Indian module manufacturers
05 June 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The US government has decided to end generalised system of preferences (GSP) to Indian exports from June 5, 2019 onwards after keeping the move on hold in light of the ongoing general elections in India. GSP allowed...
Debt funding concerns growing
04 June 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Total pipeline of utility scale solar and wind projects has reached a near all-time high of 32.1 GW. After a relatively lull FY 2018-19 when only 6,174 MW was installed (down 43% over previous months), installation activity should be expected to boom over the next 24 months. As per our database, based purely on commissioning schedules specified under the tenders, India should add 17.8 and 13.8...
Ancillary services market still at an early stage of development
28 May 2019 | Surbhi Singhvi
CERC released a discussion paper for a redesign of ancillary services mechanism in India in September 2018. The paper has been issued in response to various shortcomings in the existing...
Busy agenda for the new government
28 May 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Contrary to most expectations, the BJP led political alliance has won the general election with a thumping majority, even bigger than in 2014. Prime Minister Modi is expected to take oath for the next five-year term on 30 May 2019. It seems that the cabinet of ministers could also be sworn simultaneously. It will be interesting to watch who assumes charge of MNRE particularly as the Prime...
Mono-crystalline modules beginning to gain acceptance in India
23 May 2019 | Jyoti Gulia
The mono-crystalline module market has finally started gaining traction in India. In April 2019, ReNew announced commissioning of its 300 MW solar project using mono-crystalline modules in Pavagada solar park, Karnataka. Other utility scale project developers including...
Optimistic outlook for renewable energy needs backing up
21 May 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
BRIDGE TO INDIA has released results of the fourth RE CEO survey. The survey received responses from 41 industry leaders covering full spectrum of companies across the value chain and geographies. The two main findings of the survey, relating to business sentiment and expected capacity addition in the next 5 years, are...
Risk profile of Indian RE not conducive for INVITs
16 May 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Indian financial services group, Piramal Enterprises, and the Canadian pension fund major, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), have announced plans to set up an RE-focused infrastructure investment trust (INVIT). Initial corpus is expected to be USD 600 million with CPPIB and Piramal committing USD 360 million and USD 90 million respectively. Balance would come from other...
Need for an urgent reassessment of tender programme
08 May 2019 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Gujarat’s latest utility scale solar tender – 700 MW in Raghanesda solar park – has been
Public sector rooftop market stays sluggish
30 April 2019 | Prantik Mitra
SECI issued a new tender in February 2019 for development of 97.5 MW grid-connected rooftop solar projects. These projects will be developed on pre-identified government buildings across all 36 states and union territories under CAPEX and OPEX modes (12.5 and 85 MW respectively). This is the first rooftop solar tender issued by SECI after the
