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A Regulatory Crossroads for Gujarat’s Power Sector

This week’s proceedings before the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) are anything but routine.

Nine petitions — spanning GETCO, GUVNL, Suzlon, Concord Biotech, and J.B. Renewable — have converged to expose three structural pressure points shaping the future of Gujarat’s power sector.

They show a state that’s expanding rapidly — compliant and ambitious — but where regulatory frameworks and permissions processes are struggling to keep pace.

Fault-Line 1: Legacy Orders vs Ground Reality — GETCO Pushes Back

Three GETCO petitions (2490/2025, 2563/2025, 2564/2025) seek amendments to Orders 1, 5, and 6 of 2024 that govern: • Transmission cost allocation • System-strengthening approvals • Load-flow and connectivity sequencing • Division of roles between GETCO, discoms, and private licensees

GETCO argues that the 2024 frameworks are no longer aligned with ground realities.

Industrial clusters have shifted, renewable evacuation pressures have grown, and port-SEZ loads are arriving faster than expected.

When the State Transmission Utility itself seeks to reopen foundational directives within a year, it’s clear that policy assumptions haven’t kept pace with operational change.

Respondents include every discom, Torrent Power, MPSEZ Utilities, GIFT Power Company, Jubilant, Aspen, and Deendayal Port Trust, indicating just how wide the impact is.

Fault-Line 2: Renewable Permission Bottlenecks — Suzlon, Concord, and J.B. Renewable

The second pressure point is operational — permissions and NOCs are lagging behind investment cycles.

Suzlon — A “NO GO / NO WTG” Decision After Full Compliance Suzlon’s 50 MW project met every connectivity condition: a ₹2.5 crore bank guarantee, supervision fees, and executed agreements. Then NIWE declared the Jetpur site a “NO GO / NO WTG Zone,” halting progress after capital had already been committed. Suzlon now seeks refunds for a project stalled by factors beyond its control.

J.B. Renewable — Policy Grants, Practice Denies A 2.10 MW captive wind plant tied to a 5,000 kVA consumer sought Medium-Term Open Access — allowed under policy for up to 50% captive use. Yet, approval was denied. The case highlights opaque decision-making and inconsistent application of open-access rules.

Concord Biotech — Penalised While Building for the Utility Under Option-III, GETCO required Concord to build a 3-km 66 kV underground line. Concord paid, used approved vendors, and began construction — but MGVCL issued demand-charge notices for delays. The irony: a consumer is penalised while constructing infrastructure for the grid itself.

These cases reveal permissions lagging behind Gujarat’s pro-renewable policy ambitions.

Fault-Line 3: Gas Tariff Rules Under Strain — The UNOSUGEN Shock

The third — and most contentious — issue concerns tariff valuation for gas-based power.

Two identical review petitions challenge GERC’s order on UNOSUGEN, which cut the plant’s fixed-cost entitlement from ₹228.54 crore to ₹7.03 crore — a ₹225-crore reduction.

Petitioners argue that the Commission: • Linked fixed-cost recovery to Plant Load Factor (PLF) instead of availability • Used an outdated ₹5.479/unit benchmark • Excluded ₹41.11 crore in regasification and transportation costs

This effectively underprices gas-based capacity, even though such plants remain essential for grid reliability, peaking, and balancing renewable intermittency.

The issue extends beyond one plant — it reflects a system-wide reluctance to acknowledge the full cost of flexible RLNG-based generation.

A Sector Undergoing a Stress Test, Not a Crisis

Across all nine filings, a single pattern emerges:

• Old directives are being reopened. • New renewable projects are hitting chokepoints. • Gas-based units are struggling with tariff constraints.

These are not signs of breakdown — they’re symptoms of transformation.

Gujarat’s power sector is growing faster than its regulatory architecture anticipated. Transmission frameworks designed for yesterday’s loads are being rewritten for tomorrow’s grid. Permissions meant for orderly renewable rollout are clashing with fast-moving investments. And tariff methodologies rooted in a coal-centric era are being tested by the economics of gas and flexibility.

This is not crisis — it’s recalibration.

The Bottom Line

Nine petitions. Five categories of entities. Three deep fault-lines.

Together, they reveal a power sector where regulation, investment, and system operations are no longer moving at the same speed.

The next set of Commission orders — on GETCO amendments, open-access permissions, connectivity refunds, and gas tariff reviews — will decide whether Gujarat’s regulatory framework evolves fast enough to match its growth.

Behind the careful language of “amendments” lies something deeper. Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation (GETCO) isn’t just fixing a few words in old regulatory orders—it’s reopening the foundation on which those orders rest.

Three petitions filed before the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC)—Petition 2490, 2563, and 2564 of 2025—are all aimed at revisiting key 2024 directives (Order 1, Order 5, and Order 6). Together, they reveal a system-wide recalibration in how Gujarat plans, approves, and finances its transmission backbone.

What’s Really Going On

Each of these orders affects tariff structures, project approvals, and operational responsibilities. By pulling in every major discom—DGVCL, UGVCL, MGVCL, PGVCL—along with Torrent Power, MPSEZ Utilities, GIFT Power, Aspen, Jubilant, and Deendayal Port Trust, GETCO is making it clear: this isn’t about one clause or one project—it’s about aligning the rulebook with the grid’s fast-changing reality.

The 2024 orders had defined:

how transmission development charges (TDC) are structured and recovered,

sequencing of load-flow and connectivity approvals,

technical and capacity standards,

cost responsibilities for new bays, lines, and substation reinforcements,

and how new industrial or renewable load pockets are integrated.

Now, GETCO is saying: the ground has shifted.

When Planning Meets Reality

Transmission planning is neat on paper. Execution rarely is. Over the past year, several forces have collided with the 2024 framework:

industrial load shifting into new clusters,

accelerated renewable connectivity requests,

new SEZ and port-linked demand centers,

delays in land and right-of-way clearances,

and pressure from discoms to fast-track approvals without added cost.

These on-ground challenges have exposed a growing mismatch between regulatory design and operational flexibility.

GETCO’s petitions effectively tell the regulator:

“We can’t comply with these orders and meet real-world conditions at the same time.”

The Deeper Tension: Certainty vs Flexibility

GERC’s 2024 orders aimed for clarity—fixed rules, defined responsibilities, and standardized processes. But Gujarat’s grid is evolving too fast for rigidity.

If the 2024 rules remain unchanged:

projects could stall,

cost-sharing could become unfair,

and network reinforcements could turn obsolete before completion.

In short, GETCO is asking the Commission to let flexibility catch up with expansion.

Why Private Licensees Are Paying Attention

Private players like Torrent, MPSEZ Utilities, and GIFT Power are directly impacted. Any amendment affects:

bay allocation,

load approval timelines,

tariff pass-through,

and private grid expansion plans.

A single amendment can delay or accelerate an entire SEZ’s power rollout. That’s why everyone’s watching closely.

The Bigger Picture

GETCO’s move is not regulatory housekeeping—it’s institutional course correction. The State Transmission Utility wants to realign GERC’s 2024 orders with today’s field realities, ensuring that regulation doesn’t hold back Gujarat’s grid growth.

When the STU asks to reopen three foundational orders in one sweep, it signals one thing: the grid is evolving faster than the rulebook—and it’s time for the rulebook to catch up.

Suzlon’s 35 MW wind evacuation plan is stuck at Nadadhri as procedural disputes delay Stage-II approval. The bottleneck is not steel or silicon; it is paperwork. When nodal clearances, bay allocation, and protection-scheme concurrence move in different gears, megawatts stay stranded. That stall matters because Wind power projects hinge on synchronized approvals across the generator, the STU and load-dispatch center. For Gujarat’s pipeline of Wind power projects, evacuation predictability separates commissioning from carrying cost. Delays compound for developers. At Nadadhri, the fault line is the handshake between grid readiness and developer milestones. GETCO is chasing compliance on bay space, line routing, and relay coordination; Suzlon is pushing for certainty so turbines can be erected with confidence evacuation will follow. Until Stage-II lands, lenders will price risk higher, EPC schedules will slip, and turbine logistics will sit in limbo. The monthly opportunity cost is tangible—idle capital and deferred revenue. What would unlock it? First, a single-window protocol that binds timelines across bay creation, protection studies, and SCADA integration—measured in days, not quarters. Second, transparent curtailment-risk disclosures so P90 cases don’t become P70 realities once plants sync. Third, a standard dispute-escalation ladder that triggers independent technical arbitration before delays metastasize. These are basics, but basics decide whether Wind power projects reach commercial operation on time. This standoff is a cautionary note for the next tranche of Gujarat bids. Grid-first planning—feeder readiness, N-1 contingency paths, and digital interlock testing—must precede land mobilization. Developers should also ring-fence working capital to rid procedural lag without choking site progress. If Gujarat fixes the choreography now, Nadadhri becomes a footnote. If not, stranded capacity will multiply, and Wind power projects will keep losing months to meetings instead of megawatts. Bottom line: approvals are fuel. Without them, Wind power projects go nowhere, Suzlon GETCO, Renewable Energy, Wind Energy, Power Grid, Energy Infrastructure, Green Energy.

Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd. (GETCO) has conveyed a notice for the post of Vidyut Sahayak (Junior Engineer. Qualified and interested up-and-comers can apply for GETCO JE Recruitment 2021 from before 18 June 2021 on evident site getcogujarat.com. GETCO Vidyut Sahayak Link is available will remain open for 21 days from the date of opening of association. The candidates are referenced to regularly check the GETCO site for revives

A total of 352 openings are available of which 300 freedoms are in the class of VSJE (Electrical) and 52 freedoms are in the grouping of VSJE (Civil). More nuances on GETCO Vidyut Sahayak Recruitment like enlightening ability, age limit, remuneration, decision communication, and application associate under:

GETCO Recruitment 2021: Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd. (GETCO) has begun the online application measure for the postof Vidyut Sahayak (Junior Engineer). Qualified and intrigued applicants can apply for GETCO JE Recruitment 2021 from today for example 18 June 2021 on true site getcogujarat.com.

GETCO Vidyut Sahayak Link is accessible will stay open for 21 days from the date of opening of connection for example 08 July 2021.

A sum of 352 opening are accessible of which 300 opportunities are in the class of VSJE (Electrical) and 52 opportunities are in the classification of VSJE (Civil). More subtleties on GETCO Vidyut Sahayak Recruitment like instructive capability, age limit, compensation, choice interaction and application connect beneath: