In a significant development for India's renewable energy sector, transmission infrastructure delays are emerging as a critical bottleneck for power evacuation, according to top government officials. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, has highlighted that the curtailment of renewable energy (RE) power in Rajasthan is primarily driven by a mismatch between the rapid commissioning of renewable projects and the slower pace of transmission infrastructure development.
Structural Challenge in Renewable Integration
Sarangi explained that this represents a structural challenge for the sector. "Evacuation of RE power is a major challenge because renewable power plants can become operational much faster than conventional thermal power plants," he stated. "A coal-based power plant typically takes five to six years to become operational. So, the transmission system used to get ready by that time. But now, a solar power plant is coming up within anything between one to two years. A wind turbine is getting ready within a one-year period, whereas the transmission system is still taking three to four to five years."
Rajasthan's Transmission Constraints
The Secretary specifically addressed the situation in Rajasthan, where renewable energy developers have increasingly flagged curtailment during peak solar hours. Approximately 4 gigawatts (GW) of RE capacity was previously stranded without connectivity. However, with the commissioning of the Khetri-Narela transmission line in December, part of this capacity has now been evacuated.
"The remaining 2 GW will also be evacuated once the transmission line in Rajasthan's Fatehgarh gets commissioned. Within a month, that line will be ready. After that, we do not foresee any curtailment in Rajasthan," Sarangi assured.
Delays in Key Transmission Projects
Sarangi acknowledged that delays in some key transmission projects in Rajasthan have aggravated the curtailment problem. "Some of the transmission lines which were getting ready from Rajasthan were slightly delayed. The Khetri-Narela line which was delayed and eventually got operational in December. So, when that line is not ready to evacuate power, it will lead to curtailment," he explained.
Proportional Infrastructure Expansion Needed
The MNRE Secretary emphasized that large-scale integration of renewable energy will require proportional expansion of transmission infrastructure. "So, if you want to integrate more and more RE, you will also have to be ready with more transmission lines to evacuate power from RE zones to the non-renewable energy load centers," he said.
Sarangi noted that Power Grid Corporation of India is addressing this issue through advanced tenders. "Because once we declare a certain area as a renewable energy potential area, then irrespective of the number of applications received, Power Grid is going ahead," he explained. "There is a national committee on transmission headed by CEA. So, they take a decision to go ahead on a particular project irrespective of whether sufficient applications have come up."
Broader Sector Challenges
Transmission connectivity has emerged as a key bottleneck for the entire renewable energy sector. In November, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) noted that around 31.8 GW of RE capacity had already been granted connectivity but was yet to secure power purchase agreements (PPAs), resulting in underutilization of transmission infrastructure.
The lack of PPA signing has become a major hurdle for the sector, with at least 42 GW of RE capacity still without PPAs. In the same month, rating agency ICRA flagged concerns over declining project awards and delays in PPA signings, stating that these trends "reflect concerns on execution related to available transmission connectivity for the RE sector."
Recent Progress and Milestones
Despite these challenges, India's renewable energy capacity continues to expand rapidly. The country added 44.51 GW of renewable capacity during the year till November, nearly double the 24.72 GW added during the same period last year. As a result, total installed RE capacity reached 253.96 GW in November 2025—an increase of over 23% from 205.52 GW in November 2024.
Simultaneously, India's national power transmission network crossed a major milestone on January 14, surpassing 5 lakh circuit kilometers (ckm) of transmission lines (220 kV and above). This included the commissioning of a 628 ckm of 765 kV transmission line from Bhadla II to Sikar II substation specifically for evacuating renewable power from Rajasthan.
"With the commissioning of this transmission line, an additional 1,100 MW of power can be evacuated from the RE zones of Bhadla, Ramgarh and Fatehgarh Solar Power Complex," the government announced, highlighting the tangible progress being made in addressing transmission constraints.
The developments underscore the critical need for synchronized planning between renewable energy project development and transmission infrastructure expansion to ensure optimal utilization of India's growing clean energy resources.
