Renewable power curtailment in Gujarat hits textile spinning mills hard

Ahmedabad: Renewable power curtailment in Gujarat is severely affecting the textile spinning industry, with mills reporting mounting financial losses, delayed project payback, and disruption to captive energy planning, according to industry sources. The issue has intensified over the past 20 months, particularly during high-wind periods, when grid operators have imposed load curtailments of 50% to 70% on wind, solar, and hybrid power projects.The Spinners' Association of Gujarat (SAG), which represents cotton spinning mills across the state, has written to the state govt saying the issue is hurting investments made under Gujarat's textile growth initiative. Many power-intensive spinning mills had installed wind turbines and solar plants for captive use after obtaining approvals and grid connectivity from the state transmission system.Industry members argue that these projects were commissioned only after technical studies, safety checks, and formal connectivity approvals. They say this process should ensure the grid can absorb the sanctioned renewable power. The association has pointed out that Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation regularly publishes renewable energy integration capacity for substations after system studies, raising questions over why approved projects are later forced to reduce generation."Spinning mills made renewable energy investments based on policy support, technical approvals, and assured grid connectivity, but repeated curtailment is now causing huge revenue losses and delaying project payback," said Ripple Patel, vice president of the SAG. "Gujarat remains one of India's leading renewable energy states, supported by its long coastline, strong wind potential, and growing number of solar and hybrid projects. However, the benefits of this capacity are being diluted when generation is curtailed despite completed infrastructure and compliance with transmission requirements. In recent days, the curtailment is much higher, and it is affecting the industry," said Jayesh Patel, senior vice president, SAG.The impact is especially severe for captive users such as spinning mills, where energy costs are a major component of production. Reduced renewable generation forces mills to depend more on costly alternative power sources while still bearing the capital burden of underutilized renewable assets. Investors selling power to the government are also seeing returns weaken as generation losses directly affect revenue realization."Curtailment at this scale is not only hurting industry and investors, but also resulting in a national loss of clean energy at a time when renewable generation is critically needed," another association member said.The association has urged authorities to address the mismatch between approved renewable integration capacity and actual power evacuation. It maintains that if connectivity has been granted after detailed system studies, then renewable plants should be allowed to inject power without arbitrary restrictions.