Govt’s proposed carbon tax waiver on coal to weigh on renewable sector growth: Fitch

07 Jan 2020 Evaluate

Fitch Solutions has said that the government’s proposed carbon tax waiver on coal may pose substantial downside risks to India's renewable sector growth. It noted that in a bid to alleviate significant debt levels in the power industry, the government had proposed to waive carbon taxes on coal by Rs 400 per tonne.

This comes at a time where aggressive bidding and rapid fall in tariff prices in country's renewable power auctions have squeezed profit margins for project developers and threatened the economic feasibility of the project pipeline in the renewables sector. Fitch pointed out that the proposed carbon tax waiver on coal will weigh on renewables growth and added that the carbon tax waiver was likely to make coal-fired power cheaper, increasing the use of coal.

It also expects coal to continue dominating India's power sector, making up a share of slightly under 70 percent of the total power generation mix by 2029, with non-hydro renewables at 15.6 percent. It said ‘we stress that the continued push for lower tariffs in the tender process have already resulted in the undersubscription and cancellation of a few auctions across FY18 and FY19.’

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×