Regulatory Decision: Withdrawal Of 9 MW Wind-Solar Hybrid Project Petition In Gujarat

In a recent development, a petition was brought before the regulatory authorities concerning deviations from government guidelines for long-term procurement of electricity from a Wind-Solar Hybrid Project. The matter was scheduled for a hearing on June 12, 2024. The petitioner sought approval to deviate from the ‘Guidelines for Tariff Based Competitive Bidding Process for Procurement of Power from Grid Connected Wind Solar Hybrid Projects’ issued by the Ministry of Power, Government of India in August 2023.

Following a hearing on March 2, 2024, the regulatory commission issued a directive on March 16, 2024. They noted that the petitioner had not yet sought approval from the State Government for these deviations, as required under the guidelines. The commission instructed the petitioner to approach the Government of Gujarat for approval and to keep them informed of the progress. In response, the petitioner informed the commission on March 20, 2024, that they had approached the Government of Gujarat regarding a 9.0 MW Hybrid project. The state government clarified that the guidelines in question applied to projects of 10 MW and above connected to an intra-state transmission system, excluding the petitioner’s 9.0 MW project from their purview.

Subsequently, the petitioner proceeded with the tendering process by publishing public notices along with draft documents in newspapers, as communicated to the commission in letters dated May 1, 2024, and June 7, 2024. As a result, the approval for deviations was deemed unnecessary since the petition had become irrelevant to the current proceedings.

The petitioner conveyed their decision to no longer pursue the matter and requested permission from the commission to withdraw the petition. After reviewing the submissions and the actions taken by the petitioner, the commission acknowledged that no further action was required regarding the deviation from guidelines for the 9.0 MW project. Consequently, they granted the petitioner’s request to withdraw the petition.

The petition seeking approval for deviations from government guidelines for a Wind-Solar Hybrid Project has been withdrawn by the petitioner following their successful initiation of the tendering process and clarification from the Government of Gujarat. This concludes the matter with the regulatory commission disposing of a petition as withdrawn by the petitioner.