The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has granted a 315-day extension for commissioning a transmission line, along with bays and a metering system, to evacuate 30 MW of power from a wind-solar hybrid project in Jafrabad, Gujarat.

Background

The petitioner, Imandra Solar, approached the GERC seeking a 120-day extension to commission its hybrid power project, citing multiple unforeseen delays.

The project, developed in captive mode, received Stage-II grid connectivity approval on March 12, 2024, to evacuate 30 MW of wind-solar power, with a 12-month deadline to commission the complete evacuation infrastructure.

This included a 66 kV transmission line, bay, and metering system connecting to the respondent, Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation’s (GETCO), Jafrabad substation.

While requesting the extension, the petitioner argued that several uncontrollable and industry-wide factors hindered its efforts to complete the infrastructure, including regulatory confusion. A lack of clarity on banking provisions under the Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022, led to delays in investment decisions.

The petitioner also cited equipment delivery delays and issues with land acquisition and approvals. It informed the Commission that there were delays in approvals for standard bay drawings from GETCO and statutory clearances, impacting material procurement and timelines.

Another issue that impacted the construction of the evacuation line was the Ministry of Defence notification for “No WTG Zone.”

The Ministry of Defence’s June 2024 directive limited wind turbine installations in specific areas, impacting land that had already been acquired and causing Imandra Solar to revise its site plan and seek alternative parcels.

Despite these setbacks, the petitioner said it had completed 98% of the transmission line and the generator substation.

The petitioner also requested that the Commission delay encashing the bank guarantees, allowing it to pay long-term transmission charges for up to 10% of the commissioned capacity.

GETCO objected by contending that the petitioner was well aware of the deadlines and should have planned and procured the equipment on time. It stated that the petitioner did not act diligently and that the claimed reasons for the delay were poorly documented.

Commission’s Analysis

GERC acknowledged that the petitioner’s hybrid evacuation infrastructure was near completion. It noted that the petitioner has invested significantly and shown proactive compliance in multiple aspects.

The Commission also acknowledged the petitioner’s contention on a regulatory vacuum in 2024 due to the banking permissible under green energy open access.

GERC acknowledged the fact that farmers and landowners created considerable right-of-way issues during the petitioner’s construction work. The work had to be stopped due to the risk to the life and safety of the workers, which added to the delays.

The Commission said that such delays were not entirely within the petitioner’s control.

However, the Commission noted areas where the petitioner failed to demonstrate due diligence, such as the lack of early communication with GERC despite knowing only the Commission could grant extensions.

The Commission calculated the extension on its own by including the delays caused by the approval of the standard drawing by GETCO (75 days), the right-of-way delays (142 days), and the change in the Ministry of Defence’s notification (98 days), totaling 315 days.

Despite GETCO’s opposition, the regulator granted an extension to the petitioner to complete the delayed work.

In June this year, GERC granted a 465-day extension to set up an evacuation line, along with bays and a metering system, for a 100 MW wind-solar hybrid power project in Gujarat.

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