Where renewable project schedules slip — and how to prevent it

Renewable projects are often planned to tight schedules — driven by tender commitments, financing timelines or buyers' needs. Yet many projects finish later than planned. The causes are rarely mysterious. The same issues appear again and again, and most can be anticipated and reduced with good planning and honest tracking.

1. Land

What goes wrong

• Documentation problems found late — outdated patta, missing heirs, unregistered partitions
• Co-owners who don't agree
• Holdouts on critical parcels
• Boundary disputes discovered during survey

Prevention

• Map ownership and check records before committing to layouts
• Start resolving record issues early. See preliminary checks vs legal due diligence.
• Secure critical parcels first
• Keep a parcel register with issues and owners

2. Right of way

What goes wrong

• Access roads, cable routes and lines cross land not originally considered
• One landowner along a route refuses
• Route changes after engineering

Prevention

• Plan routes alongside layouts
• Identify alternatives for critical segments
• Secure route agreements before construction depends on them

See wind project right of way.

3. Grid connectivity

What goes wrong

• Substation bay or capacity not ready
• Evacuation line delayed by approvals or right of way
• Upstream transmission not complete

Prevention

• Screen grid availability before land work
• Track utility schedules closely
• Treat the evacuation line as a separate project with its own schedule

See grid connectivity basics.

4. Approvals

What goes wrong

• Applications waiting on each other
• Incomplete submissions
• Requirements changed since planning
• Conditions not met in time

Prevention

• Map approvals and their dependencies
• Maintain an approvals tracker. See renewable project approvals overview.
• Check current requirements early

5. Equipment supply

What goes wrong

• Long lead times for transformers, switchgear and turbines
• Manufacturing delays
• Shipping and customs delays
• Equipment failing factory or site inspection

Prevention

• Order long-lead items early
• Track supplier progress, not just delivery dates
• Inspect at factory before shipping

6. Weather

What goes wrong

• Monsoon rains make sites inaccessible, flood trenches and halt earthworks
• High winds stop crane work on wind sites
• Extreme heat affects workforce productivity

Prevention

• Plan earthworks and foundations outside heavy-rain periods where possible
• Include realistic weather allowances
• Prepare temporary drainage. See solar site drainage and flood risk.

7. Community

What goes wrong

• Work stopped by landowners or villagers over unpaid compensation, crop damage or access
• Disputes over local employment
• Damage to village roads by construction traffic

Prevention

• Engage before mobilising
• Pay compensation promptly
• Maintain a grievance process
• Repair damage quickly

See landowner relations during construction.

8. Interfaces

What goes wrong

• Scope gaps between owner and EPC, or between packages
• Late design approvals
• Owner-supplied equipment arriving late
• Responsibilities unclear for utility works

Prevention

• Scope matrix and interface register. See turnkey vs split-package EPC.
• Agreed turnaround times for design reviews
• Single integrated schedule

9. Mobilising too early

What goes wrong

Mobilising before the site is ready creates idle time, claims and frustration.

Prevention

Run a readiness review. See project readiness checklist.

10. Commissioning

What goes wrong

• Punch list items accumulate
• Tests fail and must be repeated
• Utility inspections and approvals for energisation delayed

Prevention

• Plan commissioning early
• Clear punch list items progressively
• Book inspections well in advance

See commissioning and handover checklist.

Early warning

Delays rarely appear suddenly. They build through small slips that are reported optimistically. Good practice:

• Track leading indicators — parcels signed, approvals submitted, designs approved — not just construction progress
• Use a risk register that is reviewed honestly. See risk register for renewable projects.
• Encourage reporting of problems early, without blame

Recovering a slipping schedule

When delays occur, recovery options include resequencing work to areas that are ready, adding resources on critical activities, fast-tracking decisions and approvals, and, where possible, overlapping activities that were planned in sequence. Each has cost and risk. The earlier a delay is recognised, the more recovery options remain available — which is the strongest argument for honest reporting.

Common mistakes

• Optimistic schedules that ignore known risks
• Focusing only on construction progress
• Treating land and grid as someone else's problem
• No integrated schedule across all parties
• Hiding bad news until it can't be hidden

How we help

Through project management and execution support, we work on the owner's side to track the issues that cause most delays — land, right of way, approvals, community and interfaces — and help resolve them before they reach the critical path.