The US has criticised India’s plan to invite bids for solar power projects worth Rs 42 billion which, it said, favours local manufacturers and shuts out advanced technology from abroad.
According to US under-secretary for international trade, Francisco Sanchez, programmes like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, which insist on domestic sourcing of components will hurt competition. “We encourage India to address concerns that many have about its business environment. There is increasing concern about some recent action that seems to tilt the playing field away from US businesses and other foreign firms,” he said.
Sanchez is heading a 15-strong team of CEOs of US clean energy companies exploring business opportunities in India. It includes Azure Power, Serious Energy, A123 Systems, Amonix, Picarro and Sopogy.
About the solar project, Sanchez said: “My concern is that many of the policies designed to protect Indian industries will only hurt them in the end.”
