Rajasthan amends land rules to allot government land for mega solar and green hydrogen projects
· Reported by Times of India
Rajasthan's Revenue Department has notified amendments to the 2007 renewable energy land allotment rules, letting the state give government land to solar, wind and green hydrogen projects of 1,000 MW and above even before the developer has a transmission connection. The change also sets up a separate route for allotting land to battery and pumped storage projects and caps how long a developer can sit on allotted land at nine years.
What this changes for a title check
A title or diligence check on land earmarked for a Rajasthan renewable energy project now has a new government-land pathway to rule out alongside the usual private purchase or lease route. The amended Rajasthan Land Revenue (Allotment of Land for setting up of Power Plant based on Renewable Energy Sources) Rules, 2007 let the state hand out land for 1,000 MW plus projects, storage systems and pumped hydro without waiting for a transmission utility's connectivity approval, and forest linked land needs proof that compensatory afforestation or Stage I clearance is already accepted before RREC can recommend it. A lawyer checking a solar park land parcel should now ask for the allotment order and Right to Use order, since the nine year utilisation clock and the afforestation condition can both make an allotment lapse or stay encumbered.