Carbon tax waiver pose risks on renewable growth: Fitch

Fitch Solutions on Monday said that the centre’s proposed carbon tax waiver on coal may pose substantial downside risks to India’s renewable sector growth.

In a bid to alleviate significant debt levels in the power industry, India has proposed to waive carbon taxes on coal (Rs 400 rupees/tonne), it said.

This comes at a time where aggressive bidding and rapid fall in tariff prices in country’s renewable power auctions have squeezed profit margins for project developers and threatened the economic feasibility of the project pipeline in the renewables sector.

The proposed carbon tax waiver on coal will “weigh on renewables growth,” Fitch Solutions said, adding that the carbon tax waiver was likely to make coal-fired power cheaper, increasing the use of coal.