India can't allow renewable energy to suffer the fate of pharma sector: Mr Piyush Goyal PLI-2 bidding in renewable energy expected in a week, MNRE

India should work towards becoming fully independent in the renewable energy sector to prevent the country and the world from becoming largely dependent on a single supply source.    

“We shouldn’t let renewable energy sector suffer what pharmaceuticals sector did in the past, when a single country started making almost all key materials (Active Pharma Ingredients, API, or raw material for finished drugs),” said Mr Piyush Goyal, Honb’le Minister of Commerce and Industry, consumer affairs and food and public distribution at the Third Edition of CII AatmaNirbhar Bharat in RE conference. The conference this time is themed Pathways for Global Partnership in Green Energy: Powering India & the World and is being held in partnership with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.

The energy security in today’s context has become a matter of national security and economic security, and integrated ecosystem in a renewable energy is a priority today, added Mr Goyal.  “Covid-19 has taught us a lesson, that we will have to be self-sufficient also in the sources of machinery and equipment in renewable energy. Huge supply chain disruption led to renewable energy suffering” he said further.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is planning to come out with the bids for Rs19,500-crore second tranche of production linked incentive (PLI) scheme within a week. The government is also looking to give deemed distribution licence in the renewable energy sector. 

Speaking at the Third Edition of AatmaNirbhar Bharat conference in New Delhi, Mr Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said, “…for PLI 2, we are confident that the bid will be issued within a week….the scheme guidelines have already been published”.

Mr Chaturvedi said that by 2026, India is looking at the capacities of 38 GW in Polysilicons,56 GW in Ingot and Wafers, 70-80 GW in cells and 90-100 GW in modules. “Our targets are huge, if you consider the 500 GW plans we have (by 2030), which does not take into account the Hydrogen plans. We have to install approximately 25-35 GW every year. The outlook for Solar manufacturing seems good,” said Chaturvedi. India being AatmaNirbhar in the renewable sector is not only good for India but for the world, said Chaturvedi, citing the huge dependence of world for renewable energy sector on one country (China).

 “The PLI schemes which will incentivise domestic manufacturing help us become self-sufficient and suppliers to the world in solar power equipment, just like we are supplying wind-energy equipments,” said Goyal.

Indicating the policy direction for PLI-2, Mr RK Singh, Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), said that high efficiency cells and modules will be incentivised. “We will rule out low efficiency cells and modules. We will be give the industry a window for  transition,” said Mr Singh, adding that the rapid transition in the sector to emerge as a source of renewable energy globally only leaves space for the latest cutting edge technology in the country.

PM’s vision for the renewable sector through policy support and budget outlay will help in the creation of 1.95 lakh direct jobs and about 80 million indirect jobs will be created, said Mr Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy. 

17 October 2022

New Delhi