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					</table>The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://berc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BERC</a>) has proposed that wind and solar projects with battery energy storage systems (BESS), with capacities above 10 MW and connected at 33 kV or higher, must be capable of increasing their output to at least 105% of the operating level and up to 105% or 110% of their Maximum Continuous Rating (MCR), to provide primary response when grid frequency falls.
The projects must also be capable of reducing their output by 5% to 10% as per grid requirements.
The regulations provide a structured basis for renewable curtailment where required for grid security, while retaining the must-run principle.
Stakeholders can submit comments and objections before September 4, 2026.
The proposed regulations will apply to all users of Bihar&#8217;s intrastate transmission system (InSTS), the State Load Despatch Center (SLDC), Area Load Despatch Centers (ALDCs), renewable energy generators, solar and wind power park developers, renewable energy hybrid park developers, Qualified Coordinating Agencies (QCAs), aggregators, and lead generators connected to the intra-state transmission system.
The proposed grid code mandates resource adequacy planning during the generation planning and operation planning stage.
Connection Code
The draft rules propose establishing the technical and design requirements for connecting new and modified power system elements to Bihar&#8217;s InSTS.
SLDC, in consultation with State Transmission Utility (STU), will conduct a joint system study six months before the expected first energization date of a new power system.
The interconnection studies will enable the SLDC and STU to assess the impact of new renewable capacity on network constraints and grid security before energization.
Protection Code
The draft regulations introduce a uniform framework governing protection protocols, protection settings, and protection audit plans for electrical systems.
The projects connected to the grid must be capable of isolating faulty sections and must have backup protection systems in case the primary protection system fails.
The STU must prepare the protection manual within 120 days of notification of these regulations.
A maximum fault clearance time of100 milliseconds must  be allotted for projects connected at the 400 KV level, , 160 milliseconds for projects connected at the 220 kV level, and 350 milliseconds for projects connected at the 110/66 kV level.
Commercial Operation
The grid code covers regulations around the drawal of start-up power and the injection of infirm power into the grid, requirements governing trial runs, and the declaration of the commercial operation date (COD) for generating stations, storage projects, and transmission systems.
Drawal of start-up power will be permitted for up to 15 months before the expected date of first synchronization and for up to one year after the date of first synchronization.
The injection of infirm power will be permitted for up to one year from the date of first synchronization for generating stations other than renewable energy generating stations and ESS, excluding pumped storage project-based ESS.
Upon declaration of the commercial operation date, scheduling of the generating station or any unit thereof will commence from 0000 hours on D+2, where D is the date on which the generating station intimates the commercial operation of the station or unit, or from the declared commercial operation date, whichever is later.
Operation Code
To arrest frequency decline that could result in grid failure, all distribution licensees, the STU, and bulk consumers must provide automatic under-frequency relays (UFRs) and rate of change of frequency relays for load shedding in their respective systems, in accordance with the plan specified by the Eastern Regional Power Committee.
The UFR will be issued in stages: Stage 1 at 49.4 Hz, Stage 2 at 49.2 Hz, Stage 3 at 49 Hz, and Stage 4 at 48.8 Hz.The National Reference Frequency will be 50 Hz, with an allowable frequency range of 49.9 Hz to 50.05 Hz.
The SLDC will estimate peak and off-peak demand, covering both active and reactive power, on a weekly and monthly basis for load generation balance planning and operational planning analysis. These estimates will form part of the operational planning data.
All generating stations must be capable of providing reactive power support to maintain the power factor at the point of interconnection within the range of 0.95 lagging to 0.95 leading.
To discourage reactive power drawl by intra-State entities, reactive power exchanges with the InSTS will be priced at ₹0.065 (~$0.00068)/kVArh, effective from the date of these regulations. The rate will thereafter increase by ₹0.005 (~$0.00005)/kVArh annually, unless otherwise revised.
Scheduling and Despatch Code
The Grid Code proposes to lay down the procedure for scheduling the injection and drawal of power by intrastate entities, along with the modalities for the exchange of information.
Wind, solar, and hybrid renewable projects connected through pooling substations can appoint a QCA to handle scheduling, forecasting, metering, deviation settlement, and coordination with the SLDC.
Wind and solar generators and ESS projects, either individually or through a QCA or lead generator, must submit the aggregate available capacity and aggregate schedule, along with a contract-wise breakup for each time block.
In case of curtailments due to transmission constraints or grid security considerations, short-term transactions under Short-Term Open Access (STOA) and Temporary General Network Access (T-GNA) will be curtailed first. Transactions under Long-Term Access, Medium-Term Open Access, and General Network Access will be curtailed only after STOA/T-GNA transactions have been reduced.
The draft Grid Code also mandates that all users, power exchanges, the SLDC and STU, and, QCAs to conduct annual self-audits and submit reports by July 31 each year.
In February 2026, BERC <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bihar-notifies-deviation-settlement-mechanism-regulations-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notified</a> the BERC (Deviation Settlement Mechanism and Related Matters) Regulations, 2025.
Subscribe to Mercom’s real-time <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates</a> to ensure you don’t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.

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