To address the land-related hassles in wind power projects, the Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is planning a wind energy park development scheme. As part of the same, states will prepare the necessary infrastructure for wind power project developers under the plug- and-play model. MNRE will provide financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh per megawatt (MW) to park developers for preparing the sites — involving land, transmission connectivity and other necessary approvals — required for wind plant installations. The park developers will be designated by states.
MNRE proposed the scheme in a recently released concept note. Though auctions for solar and wind parks have traditionally been done by the central government agencies, MNRE noted that a number of such projects have been delayed due to hurdles over land availability, NoCs and transmission-related issues.
