No Renewal Of Wind Turbine Leases in Critical GIB Habitats, Says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court's final judgment, accepts the restrictions stipulated by the court appointed committee on future renewable energy projects within the revised priority areas in Rajasthan and Gujarat. On the other hand, for developing Renewable Energy Projects, the judgment places New renewable projects under strict environmental scrutiny before approval, with no renewal of wind turbine leases in critical GIB habitats.

The Supreme Court of India’s judgment in its judgment on December 19, 2025, addresses the urgent conservation of the Great Indian Bustard (Godawan) and the Lesser Florican, balancing species protection with India’s renewable energy goals. 

The Court modifies earlier blanket bans on overhead transmission lines, instead mandating nuanced, science-based measures guided by an expert committee. The committee, in its recommendation, addresses the concerns regarding the protection of endangered species and the tension between preserving species and expanding green energy generation to address climate change. 

The latest order is in continuation of the Court’s previous orders dated April 19, 2021, and March 21, 2024, which directed the implementation of certain measures. While addressing issues related to the setting up of transmission lines and renewable energy projects, the Supreme Court delivered directions covering various aspects of renewable energy development. 

The Court took note of a previous case filed by renewable energy developer ACME, arising from a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order concerning the deployment of Bird Flight Diverters (BFDs). 

Setting up Underground Power Lines and Common Pooling Stations

Under the latest judgement Supreme Court mentioned that the competent authority will ensure the undergrounding of 250 km of critical power lines identified by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Rajasthan in a time-bound manner, not exceeding two years.

In cases where lines originate from different renewable energy plants but terminate at a common renewable energy pooling station, their routes would be optimised to share the maximum possible common stretch. The Court has directed the concerned authorities to ensure compliance with this requirement.

Similarly, in cases of dedicated lines originating from different renewable energy pooling stations but terminating at a common grid pooling station, routes are recommended to be optimised to ensure they share the maximum possible common stretch.

Two-Year Deadline for Mitigation Measures

All mitigation measures, including undergrounding and rerouting as suggested in the Committee Report, would be initiated immediately and completed within two years from the date of the Court’s order. The committee has also accepted recommendations related to the mitigation of 33 kV lines in the revised priority area of Rajasthan.

Provision of Power Corridor and Revised Priority Areas

The committee accepted the recommendation to establish a power corridor of up to 5 km in width, located at a distance of 5 km or more south of the southern-most enclosure of the Desert National Park.

The measures recommended by the committee for in-situ and ex-situ conservation of the GIB within the priority areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat would be implemented forthwith. As recommended by the Expert Committee, the revised priority area for Rajasthan would be 14,013 sq km, while the revised priority area for Gujarat would be 740 sq km, a massive drop from the restrictions on almost 120,000 sq kilometers earlier, which had halted over 20 GW of planned reneweable capacities in the area.