Summary:
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**1. Document & Issuing Authority:**
* **Type:** Government Order
* **Number:** 283/1/2025-GRID SOLAR
* **Date:** 12th January 2026
* **Issued By:** Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India
**2. Recipients (RE Implementing Agencies – REIAs):**
* Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI)
* NTPC Limited
* NHPC Limited
* SJVN Limited
**3. Core Subject:**
* Grant of time-extension in the **Scheduled Commissioning Date (SCD)** / **Scheduled Commencement of Supply Date (SCSD)** for Renewable Energy (RE) power projects.
* **Reason for Extension:** Delay in obtaining approvals under **Section 68 of the Electricity Act, 2003** for overhead power transmission lines.
* **Root Cause:** The delay was due to the pendency of the final judgment by the **Supreme Court in Writ Petition (C) No. 838 of 2019** (related to the protection of the **Great Indian Bustard (GIB)** in Rajasthan and Gujarat).
**4. Background & Justification:**
* The Supreme Court case led to the formation and subsequent reconstitution of Expert Committees to decide on the routing of overhead lines in GIB habitats.
* Between **21.03.2024** (formation of the new committee) and **19.12.2025** (final Supreme Court order), developers could not get the required Section 68 approvals.
* MNRE recognizes this delay as **beyond the reasonable control** of the developers and **akin to ‘Force Majeure’**.
**5. Key Directives to REIAs:**
* **Mandate:** Treat the delay as a Force Majeure event and grant proportionate time extensions.
* **Extension Period Calculation:** The extension should cover the period from:
* **(Start Date):** The later of:
* The date the developer applied for Section 68 approval, OR
* 21.03.2024.
* **(End Date):** 19.12.2025 (date of the Supreme Court’s final order).
**6. Eligibility Conditions for Projects:**
* Must have applied for Section 68 approval **on or before 19.12.2025**.
* The project’s Scheduled Commissioning Date (SCD) must be **after 21.03.2024**.
* Developers must submit a **formal application with documentary evidence** of the delay to their respective REIA.
* Developers must also submit an **undertaking** to fully comply with all Supreme Court orders and committee directions regarding GIB protection for their project’s transmission line route.
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