Parliament Question: Renewable Energy Projects in Maharashtra

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5468 ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026 RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS IN MAHARASHTRA 5468. SHRI BHUMARE SANDIPANRAO ASARAM SHRI NILESH DNYANDEV LANKE Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state: (a) the capacity of renewable energy projects commissioned under Central sector schemes during the last five years in Maharashtra; (b) whether the Government has provided financial or technical assistance to Maharashtra for promoting solar energy, wind energy and green hydrogen initiatives under the National Solar Mission and related programmes and if so, the details thereof; (c) the steps taken by the Government to promote decentralized renewable energy systems in the rural and semi-urban areas of Maharashtra; (d) whether the Government is encouraging the participation of State Governments including Maharashtra in policy formulation and implementation for achieving renewable energy goals and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details of measures being taken to address challenges with related to land acquisition issues, transmission infrastructure and grid integration in States with high renewable energy potential like Maharashtra? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK) (a) Most of renewable energy projects are set up by developers, selected through a transparent bidding process. However, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been implementing various schemes/programmes having provisions of financial support to promote development and deployment of renewable energy capacity in the country. During the last 5 years from 2020-21 till 2024-25, solar power projects of 8851.65 MW, wind power projects of 284.28 MW, small hydro power projects of 4.70 MW and bio power projects of 438.56 MW have been commissioned in the State of Maharashtra. (b) Apart from providing financial support to promote development and deployment of renewable energy, the Ministry also provide technical assistance to the State Nodal Agencies/State Implementing Agencies for Renewable Energy in capacity building, formulation of States policies, resource adequacy planning, preparation of feasibility reports, etc. through its CPSUs and autonomous institutes, namely, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy (SSS-NIBE), for planning and execution of renewable energy projects. Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the Government has supported the following projects in Maharashtra: i. Pune Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster led by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. ii. Homihydrogen Private Limited, Jalgaon (location as reported by the developer) under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) Programme for Electrolyser Manufacturing.iii. The Automotive Research Association of India, Pune to develop Testing Facilities for H2 ICE (Type approval Testing), FCEV and Materials. iv. Pilot project in transport sector awarded to Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation Limited incorporates Pune – Mumbai as one of its routes. Details of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) released under major ongoing renewable energy schemes/ programmes of the Ministry for development of renewable energy projects in Maharashtra during the last five years are given at Annexure-I. (c) The Ministry has been implementing various schemes/ programmes to promote setting up of decentralized renewable energy systems in the country, including the State of Maharashtra, such as PM Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM), PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), Biogas Programme, and the New Solar Power Scheme [for Tribal and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) Habitations/Villages] under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) and Dharti Aabha Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA JGUA). Further, Government of Maharashtra issued the Renewable Energy Policy 2020. This policy includes a Rural Village Electrification Program, Micro-grid scheme. (d) The schemes/ programmes of the Ministry are formulated in consultation with the stakeholders including the State Governments. Further, most of the schemes/ programmes are implemented through a designated State Nodal Agency/ State Implementing Agency for renewable energy. (e) The measures being taken to address land acquisition issues, transmission infrastructure and grid integration challenges are given at Annexure-II. *****Annexure-I Annexure-I referred to in reply of part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5468 to be answered on 25.03.2026 Details of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) released under major ongoing RE schemes/ programmes for setting up of RE projects in Maharashtra during the last five years (Rs. In Crore) Rooftop Green Solar PM- Waste to Year Solar/ PM Energy Biomass Biogas Parks KUSUM Energy Surya Ghar Corridor 2020-21 - - 58.30 - 3.97 3.73 2.53 2021-22 - 9.60 63.10 - 0.75 0.18 2.47 2022-23 12.00 247.60 58.95 5.08 1.75 3.04 - 2023-24 - 326.22 314.75 - 0.07 13.02 0.56 2024-25 - 1619.00 1248.62 - - 27.77 10.20 In addition to the above, under National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), an amount of Rs. 17.03 crore has been released for Pune Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster led by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Chemical Laboratory, Pune; an amount of Rs. 4.33 crore has been released to the Automotive Research Association of India, Pune to develop Testing Facilities for H2 ICE (Type approval Testing), FCEV and Materials; and an amount of Rs. 6.11 crore has been released for pilot project in transport sector awarded to Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation Limited incorporates Pune – Mumbai as one of its routes.Annexure-II Annexure-II referred to in reply of part (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5468 to be answered on 25.03.2026 Measures being taken to address land acquisition issues, transmission infrastructure and grid integration challenges Land is a state subject. Most renewable energy projects are set up by the developers based on various considerations, including resource potential, adequate transmission and availability of appropriate land. Hence suitable lands for such projects is to be assessed by the State Governments and the developers. However, in order to streamline land identification and other related processes, the Ministry has been writing to all States/UTs on multiple occasions for the identification of suitable land for renewable energy projects and also for easing land rules like exempting non-agriculture land conversion etc. In order to resolve, Right of Way (RoW) challenges, Ministry of Power has issued ‘Guidelines for payment of compensation in regard to Right of Way (RoW) for transmission lines’ dated 14th June 2024 and ‘Supplementary Guidelines for RoW’ dated 21st March 2025. Since land is a State subject, the States/ UTs have been advised to adopt these guidelines in their entirety or issue their own modified guidelines. Wind and Solar energy are variable and intermittent sources of power. The measures taken by the Government to address the challenges in integrating renewable energy into the national grid, include: (i) Laying of new transmission lines and creating new sub-station capacity has been funded under the Green Energy Corridor Scheme for evacuation of renewable power. (ii) To augment transmission infrastructure needed for steep RE trajectory, transmission plan has been prepared till 2030. (iii) Government has set up thirteen Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMCs) for better forecasting and real time monitoring of RE generation. (iv) Load dispatch centres ensure that electricity demand is fully met using dispatchable sources such as hydro and thermal power when the wind does not blow and sun does not shine. (v) Installation of Static Synchronous Compensators (STATCOMs) to improve the grid reliability and voltage stability limit. A STATCOM acts as a voltage controller for the electricity grid, quickly adding or removing extra power to keep the system running smoothly. (vi) Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) Regulations lay down the minimum technical requirements for RE generating plants to ensure the safe, secure and reliable operation of the grid.