Daily News Wrap-Up: Trade Bodies Slam Karnataka Power Tariff Hike

Oil shock from US-Iran war raises case for electrification, renewables

March 13, 2026

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Trade bodies have sharply criticized the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (KERC) decision to revise electricity tariffs for the financial year (FY) 2025-26, raising charges for commercial and industrial consumers to help bridge a subsidy gap arising from free power for farmers.

The U.S.-Iran war, now into its second week, triggered ripple effects on the Indian economy, raising fears of supply chain, shipping, and logistics disruptions across sectors. India’s energy security has been imperilled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a quarter of global oil passes.

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission approved an aggregate revenue requirement of ₹356.6 million (~$3.9 million) for the State Load Despatch Centre for FY 2026–27. This amount is lower than the ₹477.7 million (~$5.2 million) requested in the petition. The approved charges are ₹1.4426/kW/month for state distribution companies and long- and medium-term open access customers.

The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity directed NTPC to pay intra-state transmission charges to Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam for evacuating power from a 5 MW solar project at its Faridabad gas power station in Haryana.

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission allowed the Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation to initiate the tendering process for the development of a 1 GW closed-loop off-river pumped storage project at Velimalai in Kanyakumari district.

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) proposed retaining the banking charges of ₹1.5 (~$0.016)/kWh for open access consumers by amending the GERC (Terms & Conditions For Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2026. The proposed banking charges will be applicable until June 30, 2026, or earlier if the Commission revises the charges.

REC Power Development and Consultancy issued a request for proposal to set up an intrastate transmission system to evacuate power from a 2,000 MW solar park at Ryapte, in Karnataka’s Tumkur district. Bids must be submitted by April 6, 2026. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Ashok Leyland, the automobile company owned by the Hinduja Group broken ground on a greenfield battery pack manufacturing facility in Pillaipakkam, Tamil Nadu, with an investment of ₹4 billion (~$43.34 million) to ₹5 billion (~$54.17 million).

Mahindra Susten, the clean-tech platform of the Mahindra Group, achieved financial closure for NHPC’s 300 MW renewable energy project in Rajasthan. The project, developed by Hazel Hybren, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra Susten, secured ₹10.25 billion (~$111.32 million) in financing from HDFC Bank.

U.S.-based global alternative asset manager Apollo Global Management-managed funds, affiliates, and other long-term investors purchased $500 million (~₹45.96 billion) in investment-grade-rated senior secured private placement notes from ATSOL Global, a subsidiary of Adani Transmission Step-One under Adani Energy Solutions.

The National Committee on Transmission approved revisions to the implementation timelines of several transmission projects currently under bidding with the Central Transmission Utility of India, highlighting delays in many interstate transmission system rojects that were originally planned with shorter implementation schedules.

Engineering, procurement, and construction company Hartek Group commissioned Punjab’s first agrivoltaic solar open access project in Kapurthala, Punjab. The project integrates solar power generation with agricultural land use, combining renewable energy development with sustainable farming practices.

Delhi-headquartered Eastman Auto & Power commissioned an 800 MW solar module manufacturing plant in Sonipat, Haryana, to produce bifacial TOPCon and Mono PERC modules. The facility manufactures modules for DCR and non-DCR markets.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative initiated a Section 301 investigation into structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing, with India among the economies under review. The investigation will examine whether policies or practices in these economies are contributing to structural overcapacity in manufacturing sectors that could distort global markets and harm U.S. commerce.

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommended continuing countervailing duties for five years on imports of textured toughened solar glass from Malaysia. DGTR ruled that the expiry of the existing measure may lead to continuation or recurrence of subsidization and injury to the domestic industry.

Japan’s Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators awarded 79 MW of solar capacity in the 27th solar power auction, the fourth auction held in fiscal year 2025, with a weighted-average winning price of ¥4.61 (~$0.029)/kWh.

The U.S. solar industry added 43.2 GW of new capacity in 2025, a 14% decline from 2024, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight 2025 Year in Review report released by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Global installations of long-duration energy storage (LDES) systems surpassed 15 GWh in 2025, marking a 49% increase compared with the previous year, according to Wood Mackenzie’s Long Duration Energy Storage Trends report. Among LDES technologies deployed in 2025, compressed air energy storage accounted for the largest share at 45%, followed by thermal energy storage at 33% and vanadium redox flow batteries at 21%.

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