FILE PHOTO: Workers install photovoltaic solar panels at the Gujarat solar park under construction in Charanka village in Patan district of the western Indian state of Gujarat, India, April 14, 2012.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Bengaluru: Out of the Modi government’s sanctioned 55 solar parks to be set up in 13 states across India by 2025-26, 31 projects remain uninstalled, as per a reply by Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Shripad Naik, in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The setting up of solar park was envisioned under the scheme, ‘Development of Solar Parks and Ulta-Mega Solar Power Projects’, rolled out in December 2014. The scheme aimed to facilitate land availability and grid-connectivity for ease of implementation of large-scale solar projects.
Under the scheme, it was also proposed to set up at least 25 such parks with 20,000 MW of solar power installed capacity within a span of five years starting from 2014-15.
However, only 12,396 MW have been installed in 24 parks as of February 28, 2025 – five years after the target was supposed to be met.
In fact, the capacity of the scheme was enhanced from 20,000 MW to 40,000 MW on March 21, 2017. These parks were proposed to be set up by 2025-26.
Some states have shown no progress in any of their sanctioned parks, like Jharkhand's three projects and Maharashtra’s four.
Himachal Pradesh’s only project (Pekhubela Solar Park) has also not yet begun, along with Odisha’s Solar Park by the National Hydropower Corporation. Both were announced in 2023.
While the other nine states have fared somewhat better, many have shown no progress in some of their sanctioned parks. There are seven such projects in Uttar Pradesh, five in Gujarat, four in Rajasthan, two each in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, and one each in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Naik did not provide a detailed explanation for such lack of progress but said: “The government has been requesting the state governments to identify suitable government land for the installation of renewable energy projects. The land related issues are taken up with the state governments.”
As per his reply, the government has also intervened in addressing regulatory challenges in renewable energy expansion.