The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has proposed to extend the 25-year waiver of inter-State transmission charges (ISTS) for energy storage systems that are a part of renewable energy plants. This aligns the wavier with the life of the RE project, as opposed to only the battery’s life.

In a draft fifth amendment to the CERC Sharing of Inter-State Transmission Charges and Losses Regulations, 2026, the commission said that where storage forms part of a single renewable energy generation plant, the waiver will be available from the plant’s commercial operation date. The draft has been put up for public comments.

Another proposal is to allow RE purchased through the Green Day-ahead market (G-DAM) from energy exchanges to meet the requirement that at least 51 per cent of an energy storage system should come from wind or solar sources. However, the energy exchange should certify the RE mix.

The amendment also provides relief to renewable projects delayed due to non-readiness of transmission infrastructure, allowing them to retain applicable ISTS waivers if they meet specified conditions, including achieving commercial operation within two months of transmission readiness.

For pumped storage projects (PSPs) serving multiple buyers, the commission proposes assessing the 51 per cent renewable charging criterion contract-wise, preventing one non-compliant contract from disqualifying the entire project from ISTS waivers.

The proposal also introduces provisions relating to transmission deviation calculations.

NIRL bags solar project

IPO-bound NLC India Renewables Ltd (NIRL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NLC India Ltd, has received a letter of intent from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) for setting up a 900 MW solar power project.

The project has been awarded through a tariff-based competitive bidding process, with the power generated to be procured by GUVNL, according to a press release from NLC India.

“This latest addition not only builds on NIRL’s renewable energy portfolio, but also reinforces its commitment to becoming a 10+ GW renewable energy company by 2030,” the release says.

Published on August 3, 2026