The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has issued clarifications to address the difficulties flagged by renewable energy developers in implementing the third amendment to the General Network Access (GNA) Regulations.

Developers originally had only three months and one week after the third amendment to the GNA Regulations to either convert to entities with solar-hour access or apply for additional capacity.

CERC has granted a one-time 2.5-month extension, bringing the total to 5.5 months. The extension recognizes that developers require more time to make investment decisions and finalize project configurations.

The extended window of 5.5 months also applies to applicants whose connectivity applications were still under process when the third amendment became effective, ensuring that “under-process” applicants also benefit from the relaxation.

A similar relaxation of 75 days has been granted to renewable power park developers to submit information on the scheduled commercial operation date.

These relaxations follow detailed representations from industry bodies and developers, highlighting concerns about market visibility, land-related constraints, and uncertainties about investing in additional capacity under the new solar-hour framework.

Extra Inverter and WTG Capacity for Technical Compliance

Developers often install additional inverter capacity or wind turbine generators to meet reactive power obligations or to account for technical losses. Central Transmission Utility of India (CTUIL) had been treating this additional capacity as an increase in installed capacity, which would have triggered fresh applications and additional connectivity bank guarantees.

Additional equipment installed purely for technical compliance at the point of injection will not be treated as an increase in installed capacity and will not require additional bank guarantees. The relaxation is conditional on the project ensuring that active power injection does not exceed the quantum already granted under connectivity.

This dispensation has been explicitly confined to renewable energy-generating stations. It applies to both the capacity declared in the original connectivity application under Regulation 5.1 and additional capacity applied for under Regulation 5.2.

For purely technical extra capacity, CERC has clarified that there will be no requirement to furnish additional connectivity bank guarantees or to comply with Regulation 5.8 for that incremental technical capacity.

CTUIL must also confirm, through system studies, that the additional inverter or wind turbine generator (WTG) capacity is necessary only for reactive power compliance and internal losses, and that it cannot be used to inject active power above the granted connectivity quantum.

Interim Permission for ESS Charging

Energy storage systems had been receiving connectivity letters with zero drawal permitted until CTUIL completed detailed drawal studies. As a result, regional load dispatch centers were unable to allow grid charging even when margins were available.

CERC has allowed energy storage system projects to charge from the grid using T-GNA during the interim period. This is permitted only to the extent of real-time system margins and is limited by the granted connectivity quantum. CTUIL has been instructed to complete all drawal studies within four months.

Once these studies are completed and any necessary system augmentation is implemented, charging of energy storage systems from the grid is expected to take place under GNA based on the drawal quantum approved by the nodal agency, with T-GNA being only a temporary bridge during the interim period.

Treatment of Land Parcel Changes

Before the amendment, developers could change their land parcels multiple times. The revised regulation restricts applicants to only one change.

CERC has clarified that this restriction applies only to changes requested after the amendment. Any change made before September 9, 2025, will not be counted. Every applicant effectively gets one fresh opportunity to modify the land parcel under the amended framework.

This clarification is intended to ensure that developers who had legitimately realigned land parcels under the pre-amendment regime are not penalised when the “one change only” rule starts applying prospectively.

Eligibility of Renewable Power Park Developers

There was uncertainty about whether park developers could apply for non-solar hour access. CERC has confirmed that renewable power park developers are eligible only within the right of first refusal mechanism. They cannot file independent applications, which are reserved for generators such as wind and storage projects.

The order clarifies that non-solar hour access under the right of first refusal route is available to renewable energy generating stations or park developers that either have in-principle or final connectivity, possess effective GNA, or had applied for connectivity before the third amendment took effect, and that such entities may seek non-solar capacity under Regulation 5.11 or Regulation 5.2 within the extended five and a half month window.

One-Time Permission for Changing Energy Source

The amendment limits applicants to a single source change and imposes specific time limits. Several developers with older applications or those who had already changed their source sought relief.

CERC has permitted all entities that obtained in principle connectivity before the amendment to exercise one fresh source change after September 9, 2025. This applies even if they previously changed their source or if the earlier timelines had lapsed.

In effect, all pre-amendment in-principle connectivity holders get a “clean slate” for source change under the amended Regulation 9.3, with the new one-time change right operating in addition to any changes already made in the past.

Protection for Applicants Under the Land Bank Guarantee Route

Developers operating under Regulation 11A faced issues when CTUIL delayed final connectivity grants and did not issue coordinates. In many cases, the timelines for submitting land documents expired before coordinates were shared.

CERC has clarified that, in every case where coordinates are delayed, applicants must be given nine months from the communication of tentative coordinates to submit land documents. CTUIL has been directed to ensure consistent application of this rule.

This nine-month period sits on top of the existing structure under Regulation 11A, which links land-document timelines to both the date of in-principle connectivity (18 months) and the date of final connectivity (12 months), and is intended to ensure that none of those original deadlines can expire before the developer has had a reasonable period after receiving tentative coordinates.

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