them to various developers. The lead time to acquire land in states could range anywhere between 6-12 months and in some cases more than a year. Evacuation: Lack of Planning and sharing of information by the respective state transmission utilities with the developers is seen as one of the major concerns by most of the project developers in finalizing their project locations. Typically, state utilities do not publicize their present and future infrastructural plans of setting up of new transmission lines and evacuation infrastructure, it is a major threat as concerned and upcoming developers are not aware of any developments in the area thus posing a major risk involving bad planning and changing policies. Rural Electrification: A Review of Policy and Regulatory Framework The government of India has taken several initiatives for rural electrification from time to time. The Electricity Act, 2003 and the Rural Electrification Policy, 2006, are two such milestone initiatives. This section provides a brief overview and analysis of select schemes, policies and programmes as well as the key enabling provisions under the prevailing regulatory framework for rural electrification in India as a basis for developing innovative business models involving the private sector in rural electrification in future for effective large-scale deployment of decentralised power generation. Evolution of Rural Electrification in India India’s rural electrification programme was initiated in the 1950s, and its evolution can be divided into five distinctive stages. With the emergence of renewable energy, MNRE also implemented several programmes to promote cleaner and renewable energy technologies such as solar, biomass, and biogas for providing electricity to remote villages and hamlets to support rural electrification through grid extension. The major programmes include VESP (which focused on biomass based technologies), RVEP (which shifted its focus with time to solar home lighting), and the recently launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). Enabling Regulatory Framework: Provisions under E-Act 2003 Electricity Act, 2003 explicitly mentions the formulation of a national electricity policy (NEP), a national tariff policy, and a plan for the development of power systems to ensure optimal utilization of all resources including renewable sources of energy. The Act has also created several other enabling provisions to accelerate the development of renewable-energy-based generation and also lays special emphasis on rural electrification. The Act mandates the central government to formulate policies permitting stand-alone systems, including systems based on renewable and non-conventional energy, for rural electrification. The key Sections of EA 2003 are summarized below.
them to various developers. The lead time to acquire land in states could range anywhere between 6-12 months and in some cases more than a year. Evacuation: Lack of Planning and sharing of information by the respective state transmission utilities with the developers is seen as one of the major concerns by most of the project developers in finalizing their project locations. Typically, state utilities do not publicize their present and future infrastructural plans of setting up of new transmission lines and evacuation infrastructure, it is a major threat as concerned and upcoming developers are not aware of any developments in the area thus posing a major risk involving bad planning and changing policies. Rural Electrification: A Review of Policy and Regulatory Framework The government of India has taken several initiatives for rural electrification from time to time. The Electricity Act, 2003 and the Rural Electrification Policy, 2006, are two such milestone initiatives. This section provides a brief overview and analysis of select schemes, policies and programmes as well as the key enabling provisions under the prevailing regulatory framework for rural electrification in India as a basis for developing innovative business models involving the private sector in rural electrification in future for effective large-scale deployment of decentralised power generation. Evolution of Rural Electrification in India India’s rural electrification programme was initiated in the 1950s, and its evolution can be divided into five distinctive stages. With the emergence of renewable energy, MNRE also implemented several programmes to promote cleaner and renewable energy technologies such as solar, biomass, and biogas for providing electricity to remote villages and hamlets to support rural electrification through grid extension. The major programmes include VESP (which focused on biomass based technologies), RVEP (which shifted its focus with time to solar home lighting), and the recently launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). Enabling Regulatory Framework: Provisions under E-Act 2003 Electricity Act, 2003 explicitly mentions the formulation of a national electricity policy (NEP), a national tariff policy, and a plan for the development of power systems to ensure optimal utilization of all resources including renewable sources of energy. The Act has also created several other enabling provisions to accelerate the development of renewable-energy-based generation and also lays special emphasis on rural electrification. The Act mandates the central government to formulate policies permitting stand-alone systems, including systems based on renewable and non-conventional energy, for rural electrification. The key Sections of EA 2003 are summarized below.
PPP-Structuring-final-doc-with-cover-page.docx