Green energy corridor hits snags, Karnataka wants deadline extended

Bengaluru: Karnataka's push to strengthen its renewable energy evacuation network has hit delays, with the govt missing the March 31 deadline to complete phase II of the Green Energy Corridor project. It has now sought an extension to July 31 next year. Sanctioned by the Centre to support states with high renewable energy generation, the project aims to build dedicated transmission infrastructure linking clean energy sources such as wind and solar to the national grid. Karnataka, among the leading renewable energy producers, was selected for the initiative. However, land acquisition hurdles, especially in securing right of way for transmission lines and sub-stations, have slowed execution. Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd, the executing agency, has completed only about 50% of the work so far. The phase II project, launched in 2022, involves constructing 938 circuit km of transmission lines and substations with a capacity of 1,225MVA to evacuate around 2,640Mw of renewable energy. In a letter dated April 16 to the ministry of new and renewable energy secretary, additional chief secretary (energy) Gaurav Gupta cited multiple hurdles and sought more time. He said despite diligent efforts, "unforeseeable challenges" have impeded progress of the proposed projects. Besides the bottleneck of right of way acquisition, he pointed to delays in specific components, including the loop in loop out of the second circuit of the existing 220 kV Mahalingapura-Kudachi DC line at the 220kV Athani sub-station, which was awarded only in Jan 2026 after a fresh survey due to anticipated right of way issues. Data shared by the ministry shows partial progress on the ground. As of March 31, some 498 circuit km of transmission lines have been completed and substations of 600MVA capacity have been commissioned. "KPTCL has already awarded all 10 packages," the ministry said. "The estimated cost for Karnataka project is Rs 1,036 crore and the central grant at 33% of the project cost is about Rs 342 crore of which Rs 108 crore have been disbursed." The Green Energy Corridor programme envisages an overall investment of Rs 11,369 crore. States are expected to fund 67% of the costs through internal resources or borrowings.