India's New Power Tower Guidelines Aim to Cut Forest Land Diversion by 20%
The environment ministry has issued fresh Right of Way norms for power transmission lines, targeting a 20% reduction in forest land use and addressing wildlife concerns.
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India's environment ministry has released updated Right of Way (ROW) guidelines for power transmission infrastructure, directing states to adopt advanced tower and conductor designs in forested areas. The policy aims to reduce forest land diversion for electricity towers and transmission lines by 20 percent, according to an official statement.
The July 3 directive instructs the power ministry to soon issue advisories to all states, union territories, and transmission agencies, promoting the use of improved tower configurations and conductor technologies for new installations in forests. This move is intended to minimize the forest area required as ROW.
The guidelines respond to persistent objections from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) regarding the proliferation of electricity and telecom towers in core forest zones, which harm tree cover and wildlife. For example, a proposal discussed at the July 9 meeting of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) sought to install multiple 4G telecom towers in Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal, prompting NTCA concerns due to their placement in ecologically sensitive core tiger habitats.
As network expansion accelerates, the NBWL now frequently evaluates numerous forest land diversion requests. The July 9 meeting alone considered 12 proposals for power transmission lines.
The latest intervention builds on an amendment to ROW requirements for transmission lines enacted in late 2025. Industry estimates suggest that transitioning from traditional lattice towers to modern pole structures can cut the tower footing footprint by up to 96 percent, automatically reducing the forest land needed.
At a June 10 meeting, the ministry's advisory approved the new guidelines, which take immediate effect for all towers and conductors with new configurations. While existing older configurations remain permissible under previous rules, the ministry clarified that those standards will eventually be phased out and replaced with the revised ROW norms.