Net Metering and Open Access Can Coexist: MERC Order
Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has ruled that rooftop solar projects under Net Metering can operate simultaneously with Open Access, and directed MSEDCL to extend Net-Metering-based energy adjustments and reconcile past bills for Hatsun Agro Product’s 983 kW rooftop solar plant in Solapur.
January 03, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey
The order was passed in response to a petition filed by Hatsun Agro Product Ltd. (HAPL), which sought Net Metering treatment for its 983 kW rooftop solar plant even while availing Open Access at its Solapur industrial facility. MERC has directed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. (MSEDCL) to extend Net-Metering-based energy credit adjustment to the consumer and to reconcile past bills along with interest, with the reconciled amount to be reflected in the immediate next billing cycle.
In its submission, HAPL argued that after the notification of the DOA (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2023, the earlier regime that required Gross Metering treatment during Open Access periods no longer applied, since the amendment had deleted the earlier restrictive proviso and introduced Regulation 3.4, explicitly enabling simultaneous operation of rooftop renewable systems with Net Metering and Open Access.
MERC concurred with this interpretation and recorded that from 10 November 2023, when the amended regulations came into effect, Open Access billing must necessarily consider Net Metering adjustments rather than Gross Metering, noting that the regulatory intent was to facilitate integrated renewable sourcing rather than penalise consumers for adopting both mechanisms.
MSEDCL had opposed the plea on procedural grounds, stating that HAPL had not applied for Green Energy Open Access through the State Load Despatch Centre as nodal agency under the amended framework, and therefore was not entitled to Net Metering benefit during simultaneous operation.
The Commission, however, observed that implementation of the amended framework by MSEDCL had itself been delayed and held that such delay could not be used as a ground to deny legitimate Net Metering benefit to a consumer that had already been granted Open Access permissions. MERC also cited earlier proceedings in which MSEDCL had agreed to extend Net Metering-based adjustment to similarly placed consumers, and stated that the utility could not discriminate in the treatment of comparable cases.
While the order clarifies that the ruling will remain subject to the outcome of MSEDCL’s pending clarificatory petition in Case No. 232 of 2024, MERC has made it clear that, until then, energy settlement must continue on a Net Metering basis in accordance with the prevailing regulatory provisions.
The decision is being seen as a significant relief for C&I consumers operating rooftop solar plants alongside Open Access procurement, as it removes ambiguity, restores confidence in rooftop solar investments, and reinforces the principle that regulatory evolution should support, rather than hinder, clean-energy adoption.
By affirming that Net Metering and Open Access can coexist, the order strengthens policy certainty, supports industrial energy optimisation, and underlines MERC’s intent to ensure that genuine renewable energy usage is not constrained by procedural bottlenecks.
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