Hello,

Rajasthan is locked in a tug-of-war with its electricity regulator over a 3,200 MW coal power tender seemingly tailored for the Adani Group’s expansion in Kawai.

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) first shot down the proposal on November 18, 2025. The regulator issued scathing remarks, labeling the state’s demand for the plant to be located strictly within state boundaries as an "unsubstantiated assertion". The commission noted that the state’s rejection of the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) 1,905 MW capacity gap projection lacked technical merit. It also found it “difficult to comprehend” why existing MoUs with central power companies were being treated as uncertain.

Despite the rebuff, the state government has doubled down on the massive tender with a fresh petition in December 2025. To justify the capacity, it proposed retiring 1,350 MW of existing coal plants, even though their operator recently described them as “performing well” and viable “up to 2030 and beyond”.

The pursuit of this tender has sidelined planned nuclear and renewable capacities. The state dismissed the 2,400 MW Mahi Banswara nuclear project as being at a “pre-construction stage,” despite its September 2025 inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Furthermore, the state argued coal remains the grid’s “backbone,” downplaying battery storage as technologically immature to justify long-term thermal dependence.

The review petition, which largely regurgitates original claims, will be heard by the RERC today, January 27.

This latest report is a follow-up to our earlier story on how the 3,200 MW tender is tailored to the Adani Group’s plans in Rajasthan’s Kawai.

Read the report here: Adani Powered: Rajasthan Pushes New Mega Coal Plant by Sacrificing Existing Renewables, Coal, and Nuclear Plans

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Regards,
Aggam Walia
Associate Member
The Reporters’ Collective

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Rajasthan Govt Renews Push for Tender Mirroring Adani Group’s Plans

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