Pune: The Nationalist Congress Party\u2019s (NCP) industry wing on Monday criticised Maharashtra\u2019s new solar policy, warning that its provisions could undermine industrial cost competitiveness and prompt businesses to consider shifting investments to other states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a press briefing, state general secretary Manish Konde and West Maharashtra vice-president Sagar Shingare said key elements of the policy\u2014implemented from April 1\u2014such as grid support charges, revisions in net metering, electricity duty on self-consumed solar power, and the implicit push towards battery-backed hybrid systems, have sharply reduced the economic attractiveness of rooftop and captive solar projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Konde, the changes have materially altered project economics. \u201cAn industrial unit generating about 1 lakh units of solar power per month earlier saved roughly \u20b910 lakh. Under the new framework, savings have dropped to around \u20b92 lakh, implying a loss of \u20b97\u20138 lakh per month,\u201d he said, adding that restrictions on energy banking and additional levies have compounded the burden on MSMEs and solar EPC players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Industry estimates cited by the NCP wing suggest that 800\u20131,500 units in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad belts are already impacted, while 5,000\u201310,000 units across Maharashtra could face stress. The annual financial hit to the sector could be in the range of \u20b95,000\u2013\u20b99,000 crore, with potential spillover effects on employment in the solar value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shingare highlighted operational inefficiencies arising from the policy design. \u201cDespite generating their own power, industries are being levied grid support charges. Inadequate provisions for banking or night-time utilisation mean surplus daytime generation often goes underutilised, weakening the core value proposition of solar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that competing states such as Gujarat and Rajasthan continue to offer more favourable solar frameworks, including stable net metering regimes and lower charges, thereby attracting incremental investments. \u201cIf Maharashtra does not recalibrate its policy, there is a credible risk of capital and capacity migrating to other states,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Policy concerns flagged by industry representatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key demands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pune: The Nationalist Congress Party\u2019s (NCP) industry wing on Monday criticised Maharashtra\u2019s new solar policy, warning that its provisions could undermine industrial cost competitiveness and prompt businesses to consider shifting investments to other states. At a press briefing, state general secretary Manish Konde and West Maharashtra vice-president Sagar Shingare said key elements of the policy\u2014implemented […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,28,27],"tags":[69,71,43,44],"class_list":["post-2069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maharashtra","category-politics","category-pune","tag-maharashtra","tag-political","tag-punecity","tag-punenews"],"yoast_head":"\n