TNERC Issues Draft GEOA Rules to Expand Renewable Power Use in Tamil Nadu

In a significant move to promote renewable energy, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has notified the Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) Regulations, 2025.

The regulations aim to provide non-discriminatory open access for renewable energy across the state’s intra-state transmission and distribution systems, including systems incidental to inter-state electricity transmission. The framework establishes methodologies for calculating open access and banking charges, ensuring transparent and streamlined procedures for all Green Energy Open Access customers.

The regulations apply to all consumers, traders, distribution licensees, and renewable energy (RE) generators within Tamil Nadu. Eligibility is extended to EHT and  HT consumers with a minimum contracted demand of 63 kVA and above. Captive generating plants also qualify under the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003. Green energy sources covered under these regulations include solar, wind, hybrid wind-solar, hydro, and other technologies approved by the Government of India, as well as any mechanism replacing fossil fuels, such as green hydrogen or green ammonia production.

The Tamil Nadu State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) will serve as the State Nodal Agency for short-term GEOA, while the State Transmission Utility (STU) will oversee medium- and long-term open access approvals. All applications will be submitted through the Central Nodal Agency’s online portal, with direct submissions to the SLDC also permitted to avoid delays. The regulations outline priority allotment, granting the highest preference to distribution licensees, followed by long-term, medium-term, and short-term green energy customers on a first-come, first-served basis.

The regulations define long-term GEOA as access for over 12 years up to 25 years, medium-term for three months to three years, and short-term up to one month. Consumers may apply for repeated short-term access as fresh applications, with priority reset by submission date. Detailed provisions are included on energy accounting, banking, billing, and curtailment priority, ensuring fair treatment of green energy customers and time-block-wise measurement of energy. Banking of surplus energy will incur an 8 percent in-kind charge, and unutilised energy at the end of the billing period will be compensated at 75 percent of the applicable tariff.

The regulations mandate real-time communication facilities between generators, consumers, and the SLDC to maintain grid stability. Non-compliance can lead to partial or full exclusion from dispatch and deviation settlement processes. Detailed procedures for applying, billing, energy accounting, agreements, and reporting will be issued by SLDC within 90 days, in consultation with stakeholders, and approved by TNERC.

Transactions involving inter-state transmission will follow the applicable CERC regulations and Ministry of Power rules, while all intra-state green energy transactions will benefit from concessional charges for transmission, wheeling, and system operation. The regulations also set out a clear dispute resolution mechanism, allowing appeals to TNERC within 30 days and binding decisions within three months.

The TNERC retains powers to issue directions, amend provisions, relax rules, and remove difficulties in implementing these regulations. Existing open access agreements will continue under their terms until expiry, with new applications for additional capacity treated as fresh requests.

These regulations reflect India’s broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070, with a target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. They align with the Ministry of Power’s 2022 Green Energy Open Access rules, promoting renewable energy adoption and supporting Tamil Nadu’s leadership in clean energy development.