Energetica India Magazine - November 2025

Director – BD & Commercial Apraava Energy NAVEEN MUNJAL Q From your perspective, what do you see as the biggest drivers and roadblocks in India’s shift toward low-carbon energy? Naveen Munjal: India’s installed renewable energy capacity surpassed 230 GW as of August 2025, with nearly 50 percent of the 2030 clean energy target of 500 GW already achieved, five years ahead of schedule. India’s shift toward low-carbon energy is being propelled by a clear national vision supported by strong policies such as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs), centralised tendering that effectively aggregates de - mand, and a culture of frugal engineering and optimisations. Demand-side momentum is also rising with GDP growth, an expanding middle class, the falling cost of renewable pow - er paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS), and emerging applications such as electric mobility and early green hydrogen pilots—all of which increasingly rely on re - newable energy. However, a few bottlenecks require urgent attention to sus - tain this momentum. Transmission constraints remain one of the most significant structural roadblocks. On the application side, the pace of adoption of electric vehicles and green hy - drogen has been slower than expected, with green hydrogen still around three times more expensive than grey hydrogen. As per recent reports, nearly 40 GW of bid and allotted PPAs remain unsigned with Renewable Energy Implementing Agencies (REIAs), with delays stretching well beyond a year in many cases. These prolonged timelines affect project costs, planning, and overall viability. A clear framework to reduce the time between bidding and PPA signing will be important. In addition, the absence of new grid connectivity allotments until 2030-31 has created uncertainty in tariff discovery and project planning. Land acquisition challenges, evolving RoW charges, and delays in transmission infrastructure continue to further affect project execution timelines. Q Can you share your short- and medium-term plans for expanding wind and solar energy? What excites you most about these projects? Naveen Munjal: Our current renewable energy operating port - folio stands at 1,450 MW, which includes 1,200 MW of wind and 250 MW of solar capacity. An additional 850 MW of re- newable capacity is at various stages of construction, includ - ing two solar projects in Rajasthan of 300 MW and 250 MW, and a 300 MW wind project in Karnataka. We aim to invest an equivalent of ~1 GW per year in India’s energy sector for the next few years. Along with pure renew- able energy projects, we plan to participate in standalone BESS projects and hybrid projects that combine storage, so- lar, and wind. W e aim to invest an equivalent of ~1 GW per year in India’s energy sector for the next few years. Along with pure renewable energy projects, we plan to participate in standalone BESS projects and hybrid projects that com- bine storage, solar, and wind, said Naveen Munjal, Director – BD & Commercial, Apraava Energy, in an interview with Energetica India. 16 energetica INDIA- November_2025 INTERVIEW