Cheaper solar in India prompts rethink for coal

New Delhi

INDIA'S coal-power plant developers are growing more pessimistic about their projects after a plunge in the cost of electricity from solar panels improved the economics of renewable energy.

After a string of federal auctions, solar is suddenly the cheapest source of electricity in India. That's darkening the outlook for the coal-fired power industry as projects struggle to find customers or face cancellation amid a glut of capacity.

"The crashing solar tariffs are creating a mental block for distribution companies and holding them back from signing long-term purchase agreements with conventional power producers," said T Adi Babu, chief operating officer for finance at Lanco I…