Right-of-Way Issues Delay 14 ISTS Projects

Fourteen ISTS projects have been delayed due to prolonged Right-of-Way (RoW) issues, primarily driven by demands for higher compensation and delays in forest clearances, stated Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik in the Rajya Sabha.

March 18, 2025. By Mrinmoy Dey

14 ISTS projects have faced delays due to prolonged Right-of-Way (RoW) issues. The key reasons for RoW challenges have been reported to be the demand for higher compensation compared to state government-determined rates, stated Shripad Naik, Minister of State, Ministry of Power in the Rajya Sabha. He further added that other reasons include delays in forest clearances.

Eight of the 14 affected projects belong to Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL). Two each of these delayed ISTS projects are being executed by Sterlite and Adani. Tata Power and ReNew are executing one each among the affected projects. The projects are spread across several states.

In June 2024, the Ministry of Power revised the guidelines for payment of RoW compensation for laying transmission lines. As per these guidelines, the land rate has been linked to the market rate. Further, compensation amounts for the tower base area and RoW corridor have been increased to 200 percent and 30 percent of the land value, respectively.

Responding to a query on how the government is addressing these RoW challenges, Naik stated that route alignment before approval of projects is being validated on the PM Gati Shakti portal. “This helps in optimising the route and corridor widths, particularly in forest and urban areas,” he said.

Further, the Ministry of Power is actively utilising the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) under DPIIT for monitoring and resolving bottlenecks in transmission projects. “The Ministry is closely coordinating with Transmission Service Providers (TSPs), State Governments and Central Ministries/ Departments to expedite resolution,” said Naik.

Talking about the impact of these transmission project delays on the integration and distribution of renewable energy into the national grid, Naik clarified, “The government is committed to ensuring integration of Renewable Energy (RE) into the national grid. While RoW challenges have led to delays in some transmission projects, suitable alternate arrangements are made wherever feasible for evacuation of RE power by utilising margins in the existing transmission network.”

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Right-of-Way ISTS projects

RoW compensation for transmission projects

PM Gati Shakti portal

RE evacuation projects