For nearly a decade, India’s interstate transmission system waiver quietly shaped renewable power economics. By lowering landed tariffs on interstate sales, it encouraged the adoption of corporate open access and gave developers the confidence to scale. That cushion is now disappearing. The full waiver for solar and onshore wind expired on June 30, 2025, and has been replaced with a phased taper that will run until June 30, 2028. The new framework reduces charges by 75% in the financial year (FY) 2026, 50% in FY 2027, and 25% in FY 2028 before complete withdrawal.

VSL Renewable Services won the operation and maintenance (O&M) contract for 810 MW of NTPC Green Energy’s 1,864 MW solar power projects in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The O&M will be for a period of 36 months. The tender was floated in January 2025. VSL emerged as the lowest bidder for both Lot 1 (1,054 MWp) and Lot 2 (810 MWp). However, according to NTPC’s tender conditions, only Lot 2 was awarded to the company. The project will leverage artificial intelligence and Internet of Things-based platforms for anomaly detection, performance optimization, and predictive diagnostics for the O&M of these projects.

SCC Infrastructure won Solar Energy Corporation of India’s auction to supply 15,000 tons per annum of green ammonia under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition program (Mode-2A-Tranche-I). SCC quoted a tariff of ₹57.65 (~$0.65)/kg to win the auction. It is slightly higher than the tariff of ₹53.05 (~$0.6)/kg quoted by the company for an earlier auction. The green ammonia will be supplied to Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers in Karnataka. This auction is part of a series of 13 auctions, under a tender aggregating a cumulative procurement capacity of 724,000 MT/year.

ACME Cleantech Solutions won Solar Energy Corporation of India’s auction to supply 25,000 tons per annum of green ammonia under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition program (Mode-2A-Tranche-I). ACME quoted a tariff of ₹62.84 (~$0.71)/kg to win the auction. It is slightly lower than the tariff of ₹64.74 (~$0.73)/kg quoted by ACME for an earlier auction. The green ammonia will be supplied to Paradeep Phosphates in Zuarinagar, Goa. The tender was initially floated in June 2024 and subsequently amended to increase the scope of ACME’s projects.

The West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission issued an order, determining the feed-in tariff for net billing and gross metering under the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grid Interactive Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System for Prosumers) Regulations, 2025. The Commission has already released tariff orders for all distribution licensees for the fiscal year 2025-26; hence, a separate order was required to finalize the feed-in tariffs for prosumers. Based on these calculations, the Commission determined the feed-in tariffs for the financial year 2026 for different voltage levels across the four licensees.

The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission released the draft Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (Terms and Conditions for Tariff Determination from Renewable Energy Sources) Regulations, 2025. The draft regulations are designed to govern tariff determination for renewable energy projects due for commissioning during the financial years 2025-26 to 2027-28. The draft regulations cover all renewable energy projects commissioned during the control period.

The Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh issued a request for selection for the development of 1,000 MW/2,000 MWh battery energy storage systems (BESS) across seven substations in the state. Bids must be submitted by September 29, 2025. Bids will be opened on October 6. The projects will be developed under the build, own, and operate model through tariff-based competitive bidding, with viability gap funding support. The scope of work includes the development, operation, and maintenance of the standalone BESS projects at the designated substations. The projects must interconnect with the State Transmission Utility network at the 33 kV level.

Government-owned lignite mining and power generation company NLC India commissioned the first phase of a 300 MW solar power project with a capacity of 52.83 MW at Barsingar in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan. The project’s part capacity has been declared commercially operational, and a commissioning certificate has been received from the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation, NLC India said in a bourse filing. NLC had invited bids to set up the 300 MW solar project in 2022. Tata Power Solar Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power, was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the project.

SAEL Industries’ special purpose vehicle, Sunfree Energy RJP1, commissioned a 200 MW solar power project in Jalore, Rajasthan. The project was commissioned on August 17, 2025, ahead of its scheduled commercial operation date. The company has signed a power purchase agreement with Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services for 25 years at a tariff of ₹2.61(~$0.029)/kWh. The solar project spanning over 1,000 acres utilizes advanced Tunnel Oxide Passivate Contact solar modules in both 146-cell and 156-cell configurations. These cells have a peak output of up to 635 Wp and an efficiency of up to 22.95%.

Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID) received a letter of intent from REC Power Development and Consultancy to establish an interstate transmission system in Karnataka to integrate renewable energy generation. POWERGRID must install four 500 MVA, 400/220 kV ICTs (5th-8th) at Davanagere pooling station (PS), along with associated 400 kV and 220 kV ICT bays. They must also augment Davanagere/Chitradurga PS with one 1500 MVA, 765/400 kV ICT, complete with its 765 kV and 400 kV ICT bays. Two 220 kV line bays will also be added at Davanagere/Chitradurga PS to terminate dedicated transmission lines from renewable energy generation projects.

India’s power transmission sector is staring at supply chain shortages and higher procurement costs due to a high demand for transformers and other critical transmission components. Stakeholders report a growing stress in the power system supply chain, with supply falling short of meeting demand for components such as transformers, control relay panels, tower parts, insulators, and gas-insulated switchgear. Longer lead times for procuring these components are leading to delays in transmission and power generation projects.

ACME Solar Holdings’ board of directors approved a plan to raise ₹30 billion (~$342.23 million) in one or more tranches by issuing equity shares or other equity-linked instruments and securities. The fundraising will be executed through various permissible avenues, including but not limited to qualified institutional placement, further public offering, private placement, or a combination thereof. Building on its efforts to secure capital for growth, ACME Hybrid Urja, a wholly owned subsidiary, recently secured long-term project financing of ₹31.84 billion (~$363.72 million) from REC to develop a 280 MW firm and dispatchable renewable energy project.

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) signed a loan agreement for €150 million (~$175.13 million) with KfW Development Bank, a German state-owned investment and development bank. PFC will utilize the loan proceeds to finance projects under the Indian government’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. According to the National Smart Grid Mission data, 8.76 million smart meters have been installed under RDSS as of February 2025. In January 2025, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation signed an agreement to set up a credit line of JPY120 billion (~$770.64 million) with PFC.

Power and distribution transformers in the U.S. are seeing supply deficits of 30% and 6% respectively, based on annual supply and demand estimates, according to a Wood Mackenzie report. Transformer costs are likely to continue increasing with the imposition of U.S. trade tariffs, as the industry is highly dependent on imports for both finished equipment and underlying components and commodities. Not only will the average cost per transformer increase significantly due to the tariffs, but lead times will grow as imports from high-tariff countries become cost-prohibitive.