Nearly 4,300 MW of solar power capacity in Rajasthan is facing complete daily curtailment due to inadequate transmission infrastructure, putting projects worth about ₹20,000 crore at risk, industry sources said.
A total of 26 solar projects, developed by companies including Adani, ReNew, Serentica, Juniper, Zelestra, ACME and Amp Energy, are currently supplying power under the Temporary General Grid Access (T-GNA) as their associated transmission systems have not yet been commissioned.
With the exhaustion of available transmission margins, power generation from these power plants has been completely curtailed during daytime hours, sources said.
According to data from the Northern Regional Load Despatch Center (NRLDC), Rajasthan has a commissioned renewable energy capacity of around 23 GW, while the transmission capacity stands at around 18.9 GW.
All of this transmission capacity has been allocated to long-term General Network Access (GNA) projects, leaving over 4 GW of capacity operating under T-GNA without the possibility of evacuation.
Industry officials said that despite the commissioning of the 765 kV Khetri-Narela transmission line, only about 600 MW of additional transmission capacity was available. At the same time, more than 4,300 MW were commissioned under the long-term GNA, effectively draining excess margins.
In an email dated December 11, NRLDC withdrew No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for 26 projects after commissioning of the line and commissioning of the long-term GNA.
Also read | Rajasthan all set for solar energy storage systems
Developers have warned that prolonged curtailment could seriously affect project viability and debt service, calling the issue a growing systemic risk as generation capacity continues to outpace transmission in renewable-rich states such as Rajasthan.
Industry representatives urged the government to consider short-term rescue measures, including the introduction of a special protection scheme to improve evacuation under the T-GNA and the dynamic reallocation of unused GNA margins to T-GNA projects during periods of low utilization. They also called for the use of dynamic line rating (DLR) to maximize real-time transmission capacity and prevent renewable assets from becoming stranded.
“Most of the 4.3 GW capacity is well within the announced connection start date. However, due to the delay in commissioning their ATS (Associated Transmission System), they are forced to supply power under the T-GNA. Nor is there any formal channel through which the generator can ensure in advance the additional transmission capacity that will be available after the new line is commissioned,” said an industry official.
Projects facing 100% curtailment belong to several renewable energy companies, including Adani, ReNew, Serentica, Juniper, Zelestra, ACME and Amp Energy.
According to sources, the government had earlier said that the commissioning of the 765 kV Khetri-Narela transmission line will significantly reduce the 55% curtailment of peak hours faced by renewable energy (RE) generators operating under the T-GNA arrangement.
“However, according to the latest data from Grid India, only 600 MW of transmission capacity has been added to the system after the addition of the Khetri-Narela line. However, the Central Transmission System of India has commissioned 4,375 MW of capacity under the long-term GNA, which has exhausted all available available capacity and left almost no transmission availability for projects operating solar projects operating under T-GNA,” another company official at Rajhan RE said.
As per NRLDC email communication dated December 11, No Objection Certificate has been withdrawn from these 26 projects due to commissioning of 765 kV D/C line Khetri-Narela and commissioning of long term GNA. “All the above power plants are requested not to violate the NOC in terms of schedule or fact,” the email said.
With limited evacuation options and no visibility of additional transmission capacity, the 4 GW RE projects face serious concerns about project viability and debt service, officials said.
To avoid stranded capacity, the industry has suggested that only the T-GNA approach can be adopted for all future RE capacity additions in Rajasthan until evacuation reserves are demonstrably available, a generation company executive said.
“Out of 23 GW of operational RE capacity in Rajasthan, transmission capacity is 18.9 GW. If distributed equally among all generators, reduction of peak hours would be only 15%, which on an annual basis would be insignificant for all generators,” he added.
According to industry officials, the government needs to take immediate short-term relief measures to prevent a total shutdown. For example, the government may attempt to implement a Special Protection System (SPS) that will significantly improve evacuation capacity within the T-GNA.
SPS enables the operation of transmission corridors closer to their actual physical capabilities, as it mitigates the risk of sudden outages. It thus prevents cascading failures by releasing the minimum pre-identified generation only when necessary, instead of preemptively curtailing the entire 4 GW.
They said the government may also look at the mechanism of dynamic redistribution of unused GNA margins. During the winter season and low generation periods, there is a possibility that the capacity will not be fully utilized at peak for RE developers with long term GNA. The reserve available to the GNA should be redirected to T-GNA projects to expand evacuation corridors.
“We recommend evaluating margins using DLR principles and allowing real-time real-time reallocation of unused GNA margins to T-GNA generators to maximize system utilization,” the generating company boss said.
Published – 14 Dec 2025 14:56 IST
