MNRE signals shift from central agencies to state tenders, C&I segment, and distributed projects for 12–15 GW green energy addition this year
India’s renewable energy expansion is set to move beyond central implementing agencies, with states increasingly launching their own tenders, entering bilateral agreements with commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers, and promoting distributed green projects, said Santosh Kumar Sarangi, secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), on Thursday.
“There are multiple routes and one of the primary instruments is going to be the tenders floated by the states,” Sarangi said while speaking at the energy transition session at CII India Edge.
He noted a rising trend of states tailoring their own bids to local requirements, reflecting a more decentralised approach to renewable deployment.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of delays in power sale agreements for projects totalling around 43 GW, which have already received letters of award from central implementing agencies including NTPC, NHPC, SJVN, and the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
Demand from the commercial and industrial segment is also expected to surge, with developers projected to supply between 60 GW and 80 GW of green power to this sector by 2030, Sarangi added.
Distributed renewable energy (DRE) projects, such as the PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana and PM KUSUM, are forecast to contribute an additional 12–15 GW by the end of the current financial year, of which 9 GW has already been commissioned.
“We have seen massive induction of green energy through distributed projects over the past couple of years,” Sarangi said. “Taking all this into account, 12–15 GW of capacity addition is expected this year, with further growth in the years ahead.”
