Renewable energy developers have shown reluctance to move away from the proposed Bikaner V transmission system to evacuate 6 GW of solar power in Rajasthan, even after the project has been deemed infeasible.

Developers granted in-principle connectivity under the Bikaner V project have already acquired about 15,000 acres of land and committed significant investments. While authorities have proposed reallocating Bikaner V capacity to existing substations, developers have cited techno-commercial challenges to make the switch.

At a meeting of the National Committee on Transmission in March, it was proposed that, since the Bikaner V transmission project was infeasible, connectivity for this capacity can be granted for non-solar hours at four existing substations (Bikaner I to IV).

Therefore, developers who have been granted in-principle connectivity under Bikaner V should be given priority for obtaining connectivity during non-solar hours from existing or under-construction transmission projects of Bikaner I-IV. This would enable early connectivity for renewable energy developers by December 2026 (for Bikaner III) or April 2027 (for Bikaner IV).

However, no developer has agreed to shift their connectivity from Bikaner V to Bikaner I-IV.

The representative of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said developers had already made substantial financial and land commitments based on in-principle connectivity grants. The representative suggested that new technologies, such as grid-forming inverters, may be considered at a later stage, as they do not appear feasible at present.

In light of the deadlock, the meeting decided to hold another round of discussions with renewable energy developers to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, over 32 GW of renewable energy projects in the northern and western regions of India have been granted in-principle grid connectivity but remain in limbo due to the lack of the necessary transmission systems.

According to the Central Transmission Utility of India (CTUIL) data, transmission systems for 28.5 GW of projects in Rajasthan have not been identified due to constraints in securing landing points for the drawal of power.

For another 4,400 MW of projects in Khavda, Gujarat, the transmission system has been identified, considering an anticipated demand of 9-10 GW from green hydrogen and green ammonia projects.  If this demand does not materialize, an additional HVDC transmission system would be required, but the termination point for such a system is not available due to constraints in securing a landing point for the drawal of power.

Grid infrastructure has lagged behind the pace of renewable energy installations, given the longer gestation period of transmission projects. India achieved 5,077 circuit kilometers (ckm) of power transmission lines between April and December in the financial year (FY) 2025–26, accounting for only 47.5% of the cumulative target of 10,696 ckm set for the period, according to CEA data.

In April, CTUIL informed the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission that it was facing challenges in providing grid connectivity for around 60 GW of renewable energy capacity in Rajasthan. The utility attributed the issue to structural constraints in transmission planning, noting that the state’s high concentration of renewable energy potential had saturated most conventional evacuation pathways to nearby load centers.