India Seeks Delay on Stricter Green Energy Rules

India’s renewable energy ministry has asked the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to defer its plan to introduce stricter green energy rules for wind and solar producers. The proposed changes, published in a draft in September, would tighten compliance requirements under the Deviation Settlement Mechanism, demanding that renewable generators adhere more closely to their scheduled power output. While the regulator aims to strengthen grid stability, the industry has expressed growing concern over the feasibility of such strict penalties. In an October 21 letter reviewed by Reuters, the ministry emphasised that forecasting errors for wind and solar plants are driven largely by unpredictable weather conditions. Since developers have limited control over sudden changes in wind speed or solar irradiance, the ministry argued that imposing heavy penalties for deviations would be “imprudent.” It also warned that such rules could weaken investor confidence at a time when India needs strong momentum in renewable capacity addition. Earlier reports indicated that multiple industry stakeholders had already written to CERC raising similar concerns. The ministry further noted that higher deviation charges could disproportionately hurt small and medium-sized renewable firms. These companies often operate with thinner margins and have less capacity to absorb financial penalties tied to weather-driven variability. According to the ministry, the proposed rules could have a “catastrophic effect” on the broader clean energy sector by discouraging participation and slowing down India’s renewable energy growth trajectory. As part of its recommendations, the ministry urged CERC to conduct deeper stakeholder consultations before finalising the rules. It suggested exploring long-term structural solutions such as mandating energy-storage systems for future renewable projects, which would help stabilise output. Additionally, it proposed leveraging improved weather data and advanced forecasting models to set more realistic deviation limits. With India targeting 500 GW of non-fossil-based capacity by 2030, the ministry stressed that supportive regulatory policies are essential to sustaining investment and accelerating the country’s green energy transition.