The Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) has urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to give three more months for commissioning solar projects amid the raging pandemic. The association has highlighted the continued challenges that the solar power industry is facing for the last year.
It has requested MNRE for a blanket extension of an additional three months in SCoD (scheduled date of commissioning) of solar power projects in addition to five months granted by MNRE earlier, an SPDA statement said.
The government had taken the problems into cognizance and provided relief in blanket extension for five months through an office memorandum on August 13, 2020.
The body said the second wave of the pandemic has been advancing swiftly, with a big spike registered across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, etc.
Various state governments have announced restrictions affecting the movement of personnel, labour, and delay in multiple approvals from state authorities. Due to the curbs, solar power developers are witnessing scarcity of workforce at sites again, putting the project construction on hold again, it added.
There is a general apprehension that if the situation continues like this, there can be a significant delay in commissioning the projects, it opined.
