India draft power policy mandates de-risking measures for renewable assets

The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy, 2026, mandates that power utilities incorporate de-risking measures during the planning, construction, and upgradation phases of renewable assets. These incidents disrupted transmission lines after severe dust storms and thunderstorms swept through districts in Rajasthan between May 30 and June 5, 2026.

Recent Weather Damage

A violent storm hit on June 1, 2026, inflicting substantial physical harm on renewable energy assets throughout Rajasthan. In Barmer, one wind turbine fell, whereas hundreds of solar panels were torn from their mounts or displaced in the Fatehgarh district of Jaisalmer. The force of the weather was so extreme that electrical poles in Jaisalmer toppled over a period of just two and a half hours.

Detailed records of project-specific harm were noted at Khaba Renewable Energy Private Limited’s 250 MW solar installation in Barmer. The tempest damaged roughly 2,891 solar modules and 609 structural parts at the site. In addition to local asset loss, damage to transmission lines prevented the evacuation of 500-600 MW of renewable output for multiple days.

Financial and Operational Impacts

• Storms were identified as a cause for delays in completing the remaining capacity at Khaba Renewable Energy Private Limited’s facility, leading the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to allow extra time for infirm power injection and commissioning in September 2026.
• In March 2026, Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat experienced unseasonal thunderstorms, high winds, and hail, which tore solar panels from high-rise buildings in Rajkot and knocked out power in Jetpur and Jamnagar after electricity poles fell.
• Strong winds and unseasonal rain in May 2026 harmed rooftop solar mounting structures and panels in Kavatheguland, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.
• June 2026 winds struck ACME Solar’s 300 MW facility at the Bhadla Solar Park in Phalodi, Rajasthan, ripping nearly 700 solar panels from their bases and impacting hundreds of electricity poles.
• July 2026 heavy rains flooded ground-based solar installations in Patan and Kheda districts, Gujarat, at Charanka Solar Park; operators halted generation at multiple locations to prevent short circuits caused by water-damaged equipment and modules.
• October 2026 hailstorms harmed solar arrays in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, and Haridwar, Uttarakhand; a preliminary review indicated that 142 of approximately 2,000 modules were harmed at UJVN Limited’s 500 kW solar site near Pathri power station.
• In November 2025, CRISIL Ratings lowered the long-term bank facility ratings for Morjar Windfarm Development Private Limited’s 148.5 MW wind facility in Bhuj, Gujarat, pointing to poor output caused by unusually low wind speeds and blade harm from thunderstorms.

Climate Risk Assessment

The July 2026 flash floods and landslides in the Chenab Valley illustrate the specific threat to large-scale infrastructure, as water and rocks entered areas around the under-construction 540 MW Kwar hydropower project. A 2024 assessment by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water estimated India's unconstrained renewable energy potential at more than 24,000 GW.

According to the same assessment, only 22 per cent of India's solar potential lies in areas combining low climate risk with low land prices. This equates to approximately 5,618 GW of solar potential falling within that specific low-risk, low-cost category. For onshore wind, the figure is even lower, with 18 per cent of the potential located in zones offering both low climate exposure and affordable land.

Transmission Infrastructure Vulnerability

The May 30–June 5, 2026 storms in Rajasthan caused the collapse of transmission towers near Chandan and Pokhran, directly disrupting evacuation lines. This infrastructure failure isolated renewable generation, stranding 500–600 MW of output for several days despite the physical integrity of some generation assets.

Regulatory Relief and Project Commissioning

This regulatory extension followed a filing by the company, which cited the June 1, 2026, storm as a factor delaying the commissioning of the remaining capacity at its 250 MW solar project in Barmer. The filing detailed that approximately 2,891 solar modules and 609 structural components were damaged during the incident.