Mr. Manu Srivastava

Principal Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh

Electrical engineer with B.Tech. & M.Tech. degrees from IIT Delhi

IAS officer of 1991 batch in MP cadre

Experience of energy sector for 16 years (7-Renewable, 3-Power, 6-Natural Gas)

His work in the field of Renewable Energy has been recognised both within and outside the country. Especially, two projects undertaken by him have changed the way RE projects are implemented in the country: 750 MW Rewa Solar Project and MP’s Rooftop solar project. Both these projects have been undertaken by him, from conception to completion.

750MW Rewa Solar Project

All solar projects in India have been set up by GoI organisations (Solar Engineering Corporation of India SECI and NTPC), and the role of states has been limited to arranging land & infrastructure. As against this, he conceptualized and implemented this project at the state level by setting up a company Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL). He was the Chairperson and CEO of RUMSL from the beginning till the complete commissioning of the project in 2020.

Rewa is the first project in the country to provide solar energy at rates lower than that of coal-based power. While the prevalent norm for GoI organisations (SECI and NTPC) then was using Viability Gap Funding to get solar power at ₹4.50/unit, this project got a rate of ₹2.97/unit without any VGF in February 2017. This was accomplished through efficient transaction structure, robust project preparation, careful contractual terms and appropriate distribution of risks.

Rewa is the first project in India supplying power to an inter-state open access customer, viz., Delhi Metro, which opens up an entirely new chapter in utilization of renewable energy in the country, where large institutional open access consumers can start procuring inexpensive RE. 60% of Delhi Metro’s day-time demand is met from solar power from this project, leading to annual saving of ₹100 crore.

After Rewa’s bidding in February 2017, Government of India in August 2017 issued Standard Bidding Guidelines for solar projects, largely on the basis of Rewa Project. All projects above 5MW in India are legally bound to adhere to these Guidelines.

The project had the privilege of being inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on July 10, 2020. (https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1637549)

The Rewa project got World Bank Group’s President’s Award.

(https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/06/05/delhi-metro-goes-solar?cid=ECR_FB_WorldBank_EN_EXT&fbclid=IwAR39Dyls2TPnN4S9M2xW5WVTQ4vWyfweA3bzQwu_6JNjmKThuKLKevJgCg4)

HarvardUniversity(https://store.hbr.org/product/rewa-solar-india-ppp-innovation-unleashed/SMU937) and Singapore Management University

(https://cmp.smu.edu.sg/case/4836) are using Case Study on Rewa project.

The Project has been covered in ‘New Beginning: a book on innovations’, a publication of Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Government of India, which was released by the Prime Minister on Civil Services Day 2017. (https://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Book-on-Innovations/index.html)

The project is an important step towards achieving the clean energy targets of India. The 750 MW project would lead to the avoidance of CO2 generation of 1.54 million tonnes per year. This environmentally positive impact could have been accomplished by planting as many as 2.6 crore adult trees.