Energetica India Magazine January-February 2021

access to reliable and affordable elec- tricity will be key to achieve India’s $5 trillion economy target. Private sector participation in the power transmission sector is another success story that has brought down tariffs by 40 percent and ensured timely completion of projects. For a robust energy ecosystem, major reforms are required in the distribution sector. Any further reforms upstream (in generation) will not yield any benefit unless the last mile is fixed. Additionally, it is necessary to boost infrastructure fi - nancing and encourage regional collab- oration in power sharing. What impact has Covid-19 had on the upcoming GEC Projects in Gujarat and what is the current status of the projects? V ijay C hhibber : The COVID-19 pandem- ic has hit everyone brutally and trans- mission projects under development are not an exception. The upcoming GEC Projects in Gujarat have already lost 5 months and more due to the COVID-19 imposed lockdown restrictions. Over and above this there has been inor- dinate delay in grant of ROW (Right of Way) clearances which is affecting the construction schedules of all the trans- mission projects under development by private as well as public sector develop- ers in the region. Therefore, it is imper- ative that the construction and commis- sioning of these projects is fast-tracked, and pro-active administrative support extended to address the issues being faced and to make up for the time lost so as to ensure these projects are com- pleted with minimum additional delays. Are there any bottlenecks that private players are facing for laying down transmission lines? V ijay C hhibber : The construction and commissioning of transmission projects worth more than Rs 5,000 crore are cur- rently delayed due to ROW issues. Lin- ear projects like transmission have little leeway in negotiating ROW, forest, wild- life, defence, airport, coastal zone etc. and are therefore heavily dependent on active government support. The tight execution timelines further amplify this challenge and complexity. Unavailabil- ity of ROW clearances is consequently affecting the construction schedule of these critical transmission projects and will impact project completion timelines. Land compensation in the districts of Gujarat is required to be assessed, as- certained, and paid to the rightful own- ers in accordance with the Government of Gujarat guidelines. However, strong reservations are being faced from the landowners, pertaining to the compen- sation payable as assessed by the State Government for the transmission towers and Right of Way Corridor. How has the support from govern - ment and industry bodies been? What are your expectations? V ijay C hhibber : In view of the importance of these transmission projects for RE evacuation from Bhuj, Lakadia, Banas- kantha, Vadodara & Dwarka areas, the State Government should assign a suit- ably senior and empowered official as a Nodal Officer to function as a single point interface between transmission developers, concerned District Adminis- trations and other relevant Government offices to monitor and expedite neces - sary administrative support to ensure construction work can be taken up with- out hindrance. We also seek support in implementation of Government of Guja- rat guidelines pertaining to compensa- tion payable for loss to the landowner for establishment of transmission tower (foundation) and Right of Way Corridor (Stringing). What is the status of RoW clearanc - es? Please Explain. V ijay C hhibber : Developers are facing challenges in getting the ROW clear- ance, especially in the key districts of Kutch, Surendernagar, and Morbi. Un- availability of ROW clearances is con- sequently affecting the construction schedule of these critical transmission projects and will impact project comple- tion timelines. Therefore, a timely gov- ernment intervention for securing RoW resolution is necessary so that transmis- sion projects for the evacuation of RE power in Gujarat can resume develop- ment at the earliest. energetica INDIA- Jan-Feb_2021 17 INTERVIEW