Covering 27 June to 3 July 2026. Two CERC orders test commissioning rules for wind and hybrid projects. Every item is checked against the issuing authority's own document.
1. CERC refuses tranche-wise trial runs and commissioning for a 36 MW wind project
CERC · 30 June 2026 (Petition 130/MP/2026)
Continuum Power Trading (TN) asked CERC to relax Regulation 22(3)(c) of the Indian Electricity Grid Code, 2023 so that its 36 MW ISTS-connected wind project at Meghpar, Kutch, Gujarat could do trial runs and commission in tranches of at least 5 MW. The rule requires a wind trial run for a minimum of 50 MW in aggregate; for entities connected through another generator's system with less than 50 MW, the trial run is allowed for the connectivity granted, here 36 MW.
The petitioner applied for connectivity on 20 July 2024 with a scheduled commercial operation date of 31 March 2025. CTUIL gave in-principle connectivity on 23 May 2025 and the final grant on 14 August 2025, with a connectivity start date of 19 November 2026. The petitioner said it could commission about 21 MW of the 36 MW by 30 June 2026, that missing that date would cost it the 75 per cent ISTS charges waiver, and blamed late connectivity as force majeure. CERC rejected the force majeure argument: the petitioner had 18 months from the in-principle grant and 15 months from the final grant to build the project, and connectivity can only start when the transmission system is available. It held that an entity seeking connectivity knows the trial run must be completed at full capacity together, and this was not a fit case to relax. The prayer for phase-wise commissioning was rejected.
Why it matters for wind: Wind projects below 50 MW cannot commission in tranches, and the 50 MW aggregate trial run requirement stands. Missing a commissioning date still costs the ISTS charges waiver, so schedules must be built around transmission readiness rather than assumed relief.
Source: CERC order in 130/MP/2026
2. CERC allows infirm power from the solar part of a delayed 600 MW hybrid until its wind part is ready
CERC · 3 July 2026 (Petition 301/MP/2025)
TP Saurya Limited (c/o The Tata Power Company Limited) is developing a 600 MW wind-solar hybrid project (400 MW solar, 200 MW wind) under SECI's Tranche-V ISTS hybrid tender, with a PPA signed on 31 March 2023. The 100 MW solar part, moved to Bikaner-II in Rajasthan, was ready after a successful trial run. The 200 MW wind part at Gadag-II in Karnataka waited for the Gadag-II substation, whose final connectivity start date is 27 December 2025. SECI extended the project SCOD to 24 February 2026 or the actual start of connectivity plus two months, whichever is later. The PPA does not allow commercial operation of a single component of a hybrid project.
Under Regulation 19 of the Grid Code, infirm power from renewable stations is allowed for 45 days from first-time charging approval, up to three months more by the RLDC, and beyond that only by CERC; the petitioner had used the full 135 days, to 13 March 2025. CERC allowed infirm power injection from the 100 MW solar part until 50 MW of the wind component is ready, the eligibility condition for part or early commissioning under the PPA, subject to RLDC directions. It held that the PPA's early-commissioning tariff clauses do not apply because the PPA does not allow part commissioning of a single component, and allowed the petitioner to sell this infirm power to any third party outside the PPA until part or early commissioning. CERC also said SECI should make sure RfS conditions are clearly carried into PPAs to avoid later disputes.
Why it matters for wind: Developers of hybrids delayed by transmission can keep earning from completed components, but outside the PPA and its tariffs. The order also flags drafting risk where RfS conditions are not carried through into the PPA.
Source: CERC order in 301/MP/2025