Covering 24 to 30 October 2026. A revised waiver draft and two waiver orders from CERC, a Karnataka RPO draft, a new approved turbine list and a round-the-clock tariff adoption. Every item is checked against the issuing authority's own document.
1. CERC revises its draft ISTS charges waiver for projects delayed by transmission
CERC · 26 October 2026 (supplementary draft; comments by 27 November 2026)
CERC has issued a supplementary notification to its draft Sharing of Inter-State Transmission Charges and Losses (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, first published on 31 July 2026 (see the 31 July edition). It follows a Ministry of Power office memorandum of 5 October 2026. Under the revised clause 13(2)(h-i), a wind, solar or wind-solar hybrid project held up because the transmission system is not ready gets an inter-State transmission system (ISTS) charges waiver set by the later of two dates: the connectivity start date that CTUIL had communicated when the contract with the buyer was signed, or the scheduled commercial operation date (SCOD) in that contract. Where power is sold through a trader or renewable energy implementing agency, the contract that counts is the power sale agreement (PSA) with the buyer. The waiver is 100% if that date is on or before 30 June 2025, 75% for 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, 50% for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, 25% for 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2028, and nil after that.
The contract must run at least seven years and be signed by 31 March 2027, copies must reach CTUIL and NLDC by 30 April 2027, and the project must reach commercial operation (COD) within two months of its general network access (GNA) becoming effective. The waiver lasts for the contract tenure, including an extension of the same contract, up to 25 years from COD. Termination, or a new contract signed after the cut-off, sends the project back to the standard trajectory, and a generator with a PPA with a trader or implementing agency but no back-to-back PSA is not eligible. A project that qualifies under both routes must choose within 30 days of COD, and projects already commissioned may opt in within a month of the amendment taking effect. The July draft used the firm connectivity start date, a 31 December 2026 contract cut-off, filing by 31 January 2027 and a 15-day choice.
Why it matters for wind: The waiver slab would follow the dates known when the contract was signed, so later slippage in the connectivity date no longer pushes a project into a lower slab, and commissioned projects can switch to it. The contract cut-off moves to 31 March 2027 and filing to 30 April 2027, so developers still negotiating contracts should plan around those dates. Comments are due by 27 November 2026.
2. CERC refuses ISTS waiver extensions beyond 30 June 2026 for Tata Power's delayed wind projects
CERC · 26 October 2026 (Petitions 168/MP/2026, 187/MP/2026, 193/MP/2026, 289/MP/2026 and 779/MP/2025)
Tata Power Renewable Energy sought extensions of the scheduled commercial operation date (SCOD), to keep its inter-State transmission system (ISTS) charges waiver, for a 288 MW wind project at Mudhol connected at Koppal-II pooling station in Karnataka, with 277.2 MW of wind being built for captive supply to Tata Steel, a 111.8 MW wind project at Kallam in Maharashtra, and two solar projects. All had an SCOD of 1 June 2025 and were waiting on common transmission schemes that CTUIL expected by 30 June 2026 and 30 September 2026, and on a line-in line-out (LILO) at Kallam pooling station expected by 31 October 2026. CERC's committee had recommended extensions to 31 May 2026 or until the transmission was ready, whichever was earlier. CERC held that Regulation 13(2)(h) of the Sharing Regulations, 2020 allows SCOD to be extended to 30 June 2026 at the latest, and that the extended waiver needs COD by the extended date. With the wind projects due to commission in phases up to December 2026 (Mudhol) and October 2026 (Kallam), none of the four projects qualifies. They get the graded waiver under Regulation 13(2)(a) once they reach COD.
In a separate order the same day, Mounting Renewable Power, which supplies Welspun Corp and Welspun Living under PPAs of 26 February 2024, got the extension to 30 June 2026 for its 250 MW wind-solar hybrid project at Jamnagar, Gujarat (161.7 MW wind and 88.3 MW solar), which it said was delayed by approvals, floods, cyclone Biparjoy and heavy rain. By that date it had commissioned 115.5 MW of wind and 59.4 MW of solar, 174.9 MW in total. CERC allowed the waiver, as if COD had been achieved on 30 June 2025, only for that capacity, and told NLDC to verify the COD certificates. CTUIL puts the project's likely GNA date at 30 September 2027.
Why it matters for wind: The 30 June 2026 limit is a hard stop: only capacity commissioned by then keeps the extended waiver, even where transmission caused the delay. For projects still waiting on the network, the revised Fifth Amendment draft above is now the route to watch, and only for those with a qualifying contract.
Source: CERC order in 168/MP/2026, 187/MP/2026, 193/MP/2026 and 289/MP/2026 · CERC order in 779/MP/2025
3. Karnataka drafts new RPO rules with a wind share rising from 1.97% to 3.48% by 2029-30
KERC · 22 October 2026 (Karnataka Gazette; notification dated 12 October, posted 27 October 2026)
This draft was posted on the KERC website on 27 October, after last week's edition. The draft KERC (Procurement of Energy from Renewable Sources) Regulations, 2026 would repeal the 2011 regulations and align Karnataka's renewable purchase obligation (RPO) with the Government of India's renewable consumption obligation notification of 27 September 2025. It applies to distribution licensees, open access consumers with contract demand of 1 MW and above drawing more than 1 MW through open access, and captive consumers with grid-connected plants of 1 MW and above. The wind share of consumption rises from 1.97% in 2026-27 to 2.45%, 2.95% and 3.48% in 2029-30, within a total renewable share rising from 35.95% to 43.33%. Wind must come from projects commissioned after 31 March 2024; older wind counts as other renewable energy. A wind shortfall can be met from surplus in another renewable source, and open access and captive users may meet their total from any source.
Entities can comply through renewable purchases or captive consumption (captive plants of at least 250 kW), Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), including those under virtual PPAs, or the CERC buyout price. Tariffs for wind, MW-scale solar, mini-hydel, co-generation and biomass projects are to be set by transparent bidding under the Section 63 guidelines. A state renewable generator taking RECs must sell its power to the ESCOMs at the lower of the pooled cost of power purchase or 75% of the generic tariff. Objections are open for 30 days from gazette publication, and KERC's website gives 11 November 2026 as the last date.
Why it matters for wind: A separate wind share, met only from wind commissioned after March 2024, supports demand for new wind from Karnataka's distribution companies and large open access and captive buyers, although surplus from other sources can cover a wind shortfall. The REC route caps the price a state generator gets from the ESCOMs, which matters for merchant wind. Comments are due by 11 November 2026.
Source: KERC draft (Procurement of Energy from Renewable Sources) Regulations, 2026
4. MNRE's updated ALMM-Wind list drops Suzlon's S111 and two Siemens Gamesa models and adds GE's 3.8-154
MNRE · 26 October 2026 (list as on 20 August 2026)
MNRE has posted an updated Approved List of Models and Manufacturers for wind turbines (ALMM-Wind), headed 'As on 20.08.2026'. The previous list on MNRE's site was as on 30 December 2025, and the new one has 30 entries against 35. Suzlon's S111 2.1 MW model and the Siemens Gamesa G114-2.0MW and SG 2.2-122 models are no longer listed. The separate SG 3.4-145 and SG 3.6-145 entries are replaced by a single SG 3.4-145/3.6 entry (3,465/3,600 kW, 145 m rotor) under Vayona Energy Private Limited, with a remark that the power curve of the 3.465 MW model was used to type-certify the 3.6 MW configuration.
GE Renewable R&D India is newly listed with the GE 3.8-154 (3,800 kW, 154 m rotor, 135.5 m hub height). GE India Industrial's GE 2.7-132 stays, with the remark that units manufactured before 5 March 2026 shall have valid enlistment. Suzlon's S120, S144 and S133, and the Envision, Windey, W2E with Adani, Inox, Senvion and Vestas models remain, along with the smaller makers.
Why it matters for wind: Developers planning projects with the S111, G114 or SG 2.2-122, or with SG 3.4 or 3.6 MW machines now listed under Vayona Energy, should check how the change affects their procurement. The GE 3.8-154 adds a larger rotor to the approved range.
Source: MNRE ALMM (Wind) list dt. 20.08.2026
5. CERC adopts SJVN round-the-clock renewable tariffs of Rs 4.82 to 4.91 per kWh for 448 MW
CERC · 26 October 2026 (Petition 233/AT/2026)
SJVN's tender of 31 July 2024 sought 1,200 MW of firm and dispatchable round-the-clock (RTC) power from ISTS-connected renewable projects with energy storage. Five bidders offered 560 MW, and under the tender rules only 80% of that, 448 MW, went to the e-reverse auction on 27 February 2025. Letters of award dated 1 May 2025 went to ReNew Solar Power (100 MW at Rs 4.82/kWh), EG Energy Development (60 MW at Rs 4.83), Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon (100 MW at Rs 4.86), Serentica Renewables India (100 MW at Rs 4.89) and Tata Power Renewable Energy (88 MW at Rs 4.91). ReNew's award lists 150 MW of wind and 100 MW of solar behind 100 MW of contracted capacity. The power purchase agreements (PPAs) run 25 years.
SJVN dropped the greenshoe option on 20 November 2025 after Ministry of Power minutes told implementing agencies to stop using it. HPSEBL has given in-principle approval to buy all 448 MW, but only for October to March each year, and the power sale agreement (PSA) is still being finalised. CERC adopted the tariffs subject to SJVN tying up the capacity under PPAs and PSAs, and limited the Rs 0.07/kWh trading margin to Rs 0.02/kWh if SJVN does not provide an escrow arrangement or letter of credit.
Why it matters for wind: In ReNew's award, wind (150 MW) outweighs solar (100 MW), which shows how much round-the-clock supply leans on wind. Bids covered less than half the tendered capacity and the only buyer so far wants the power for half the year, so offtake remains the risk until PSAs are signed.
Source: CERC order in 233/AT/2026