Press release

11 Jun 2021

EY-FICCI identifies over 600 ‘shovel-ready’ low carbon investment opportunities

Press contact
EY India

Multidisciplinary professional services organization

  • The project pipeline has the potential to accelerate ~INR 2 Lakh crore of equity and ~INR 4 Lakh crore of project finance debt
  • More importantly support close to ~15 lakh fresh jobs in the immediate future

New Delhi, 11 June 2021: EY in collaboration with FICCI, released a report today titled, Accelerating post-pandemic economic recovery with clean energy infrastructure and jobs in India”, which highlights concrete policy recommendations for balancing economic recovery and climate neutrality goals in the post COVID stimulus efforts by Government of India. The report highlights the need for new energy infrastructure to boost economic recovery and self-reliance without reversing the trends of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, air pollution and other climate change related shocks in the post COVID economic recovery era.

The EY – FICCI report has identified over 600 ‘shovel-ready’ low carbon investment opportunities in the pipeline with tremendous potential for post-pandemic economic recovery and job creation in India.

Somesh Kumar, Partner and National Leader, Power & Utilities, EY India, said, “Over 600 ‘shovel-ready’ low carbon investment project pipeline identified by us has the potential to accelerate ~INR 2 Lakh crore of equity and ~INR 4 Lakh crore of project finance debt but more importantly support close to ~15 lakh fresh jobs in the immediate future. Further, the stimulus measures recommended can help advance the clean energy project pipeline and help frame the next leg of post-pandemic stimulus action.”

He further added, “Policy makers need to reflect on the urgency of the challenges posed by COVID-19 and leverage on the existing clean energy programs for quick economic recovery. Also, labour intensive ‘shovel ready’ low carbon infrastructure projects having strong interactions with the hard-hit construction industry must be at the focus of the post COVID green stimulus efforts.”

The EY - FICCI report emphasizes what is at stake in terms of the economic development, capital mobilisation, self-reliance, jobs and environment in the critical thematic areas of clean energy infrastructure viz. Utility scale Renewable Energy (RE) power generation, Rooftop solar PV deployment, Decentralized RE power generation, Original RE equipment manufacturing and EV charging infrastructure.

  • Utility scale Renewable Energy (RE) power generation
    • Stimulus action
      • Clarity on waiver of inter-state transmission charges and losses on supply of solar and wind power beyond June 2023
      • Set up a mechanism to rediscover tariffs for stranded projects without power purchase agreement (PPA)
      • Establish a robust coordination mechanism between Central off-takers and State governments toward firming up long term power procurement plans
      • Expand the domestic lending base for hybrid RE power projects in pipeline
      • Promote electrification of end use to boost demand growth
    • Project pipeline and impact
      • 332 projects
      • 84 GW of pipeline capacity
      • INR 1.27 lakh crore equity
      • INR 2.97 lakh crore debt
      • 8.7 lakh fresh jobs
      • 4,109 MT avoided CO2 emissions
  • Rooftop Solar PV deployment in residential, Commercial & Industrial (C&I) sectors
    • Stimulus action
      • Boost demand for rooftop solar deployment in the institutional sectors, especially rural health centres and schools
      • Promote net metering in all categories of consumers up to 1 MW of sanctioned load
      • Promote third party owned business models for accelerated RTPV capacity addition in the domestic category
      • Set up contactless digital platforms for reducing transaction costs and enhancing consumer experience of ease of doing rooftop solar
    • Project pipeline and impact
      • 166 projects
      • 18 GW of pipeline capacity
      • INR 24 thousand crore equity
      • INR 56 thousand crore debt
      • INR 5,839 crores capital subsidy
      • 4.37 lakh fresh jobs
      • 622 MT avoided CO2 emissions
  • Decentralized RE power generation (PM-KUSUM)
    • Stimulus action
      • Generation based incentives for decentralized grid connected solar PV systems co-located with crops on agriculturally productive land parcels
      • Dedicated financing facility for improving farmer access to low cost debt funds and boosting commercial viability of 1-2 MW scale ground mounted Solar PV projects on CAPEX mode
    • Project pipeline and impact
      • 44 projects
      • 14.5 GW of pipeline capacity
      • INR 13 thousand crore equity
      • INR 29 thousand crore debt
      • INR 7,050 crore capital subsidy
      • 1.25 lakh fresh jobs
      • 550 MT avoided CO2 emissions
  • Original RE equipment manufacturing
    • Stimulus action
      • Boost demand for high efficiency solar PV modules and Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC) battery solutions
      • Formulate and target new Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes toward coal dependent states
    • Project pipeline and impact
      • 12 projects
      • INR 15 thousand crore equity
      • INR 34 thousand crore debt
      • 40,000 fresh jobs
  • EV Charging Infrastructure
    • Stimulus action
      • National / state level policy frameworks to promote and incentivise electric utility investment in EV charging infrastructure
      • Restructure markets to create alternate revenue streams for EV charge point operators and investors
    • Project pipeline and impact
      • 4,180 stations
      • INR 107 crore equity
      • INR 248 crore debt
      • INR 834 crore subsidy
      • 13,263 fresh jobs
-End-

Notes to editors

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.