Theft of solar modules, cables and other critical electrical equipment is emerging as a growing operational risk for renewable energy developers, with recent regulatory proceedings showing that physical security incidents can spill over into project commissioning, connectivity and project costs.<\/p>\n
A recent case involving Khaba Renewable Energy\u2019s 250 MW solar project in Rajasthan has brought the issue into sharper focus. The company told the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) that repeated theft of solar modules, string cables, MC4 connectors and other electrical equipment disrupted installation work and forced it to procure and reinstall replacement equipment.<\/p>\n
The Barmer project faced several other challenges, including severe weather, right-of-way obstructions and the shifting of an existing 11 kV transmission line. A storm on June 1, 2026, reportedly damaged around 2,891 modules and 609 structural components. By August, 200 MW of the 250 MW project had been commissioned, while 38.1 MW remained pending.<\/p>\n
Relief Granted In Cases<\/p>\n
CERC subsequently granted the developer an additional 45-day period for infirm-power injection for the remaining 38.1 MW. The Commission also directed that extensions granted by regional load despatch centres should be recorded in writing along with reasons for the delay.\u00a0 While the Khaba case involves a solar project, a recent Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) order shows that theft and vandalism are becoming relevant to the wider renewable energy project lifecycle.<\/p>\n
In an interim order dated September 23, 2026, APTEL considered the case of Serentica Renewables India 4 Pvt Ltd, which is developing a 200 MW wind project in Kallam, Maharashtra. Serentica told the tribunal that ongoing theft and vandalism had affected the project, including theft of 33 kV wiring and poles, wind turbine generator copper wiring, aluminium conductors and transformer components. The company also reported threats to personnel and said FIRs had been filed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the company, replacement components sourced from original equipment manufacturers in China could take three to six months to arrive. Serentica also said it had spent around \u20b91.45 crore on government security personnel and approximately \u20b99.5 crore on CCTV, perimeter detection systems, sensors and security guards.<\/p>\n
APTEL did not, however, rule that theft or vandalism automatically qualifies as force majeure. The tribunal observed that the developments should have been brought before CERC earlier, but granted interim relief by extending the commissioning deadline for 72.6 MW by three months, from September 30 to December 31, 2026. The extension was made subject to payment of \u20b99.175 crore to CTUIL, while compensation-related issues remain open for final adjudication.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cost Stack Issue<\/p>\n
The emerging pattern points to a cost stack that goes beyond the value of stolen equipment. A theft can result in replacement procurement, reinstallation, testing, lost generation, delayed commissioning and additional security expenditure. Where projects operate under strict connectivity or commissioning timelines, these delays can also create exposure to compensation or other regulatory consequences.<\/p>\n
For developers, the issue is therefore moving from being an O&M nuisance to a project-risk consideration. Solar and wind projects spread across large, often remote areas require significant quantities of copper, electrical equipment and other assets that can be targeted for theft.<\/p>\n
The recent Khaba and Serentica proceedings do not establish that theft will automatically secure regulatory relief. They do, however, show that physical security incidents can become part of disputes over commissioning and grid connectivity\u2014adding another layer of risk for renewable energy projects already exposed to land, transmission, weather and supply-chain challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Theft of solar modules, cables and other critical electrical equipment is emerging as a growing operational risk for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632045,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[285749,285748,242,85,46,141,285750],"class_list":["post-632044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-aptel","tag-cerc","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-serentica"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}