India gives renewable projects timeline blanket extension due to COVID-19

The Indian government has issued a blanket extension to the commissioning deadlines of all renewable energy projects under construction in the country due to the COVID-19 lockdown measures.

All projects under implementation across India will be granted time extensions equal to the total period of the lockdown plus an additional 30 days “for normalisation.” Developers will not be required to provide any evidence or documentation proving the delay in the completion of their projects, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said on Monday.

India is in the midst of a nationwide block, which started on March 24 and all businesses were shut, except for those providing essential products and services. According to MNRE's statement, the lockdown period will be considered as a force majeure event and developers will not be penalised for the delays.

The latest decision comes after renewable industry players urged the government for a six-month blanket extension to cope with disruptions across the supply chain that are hampering their projects. The energy ministry noted, however, that extensions based on disruptions before the lockdown protocol would be dealt on a case-to-case basis and their outcome would depend on the supporting evidence.

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