CERC Declines Revision Of 100 MW GNA Start Date From July 2025 To January 2027

Hindalco Industries Limited filed a petition before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) seeking revision of the effective date of a 100 MW General Network Access (GNA) granted for its aluminium project in Mahan, Madhya Pradesh. The petition was made under Sections 79(1)(c) and 79(1)(f) of the Electricity Act, 2003, and the relevant CERC regulations. The company requested the revision of the GNA start date from July 1, 2025, to January 1, 2027.

Hindalco had initially applied for 150 MW connectivity to the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) in August 2022. Later, the connectivity was reduced to 100 MW and formally granted under the GNA Regulations in March 2023. The project required transmission system upgrades, including the upgradation of Hindalco’s 220 kV switchyard to 400 kV and the Loop-In Loop-Out (LILO) of both circuits of the Vindhyachal–Sasan 400 kV double circuit line. These upgrades were identified as dedicated transmission systems to be implemented by a licensee at Hindalco’s cost.

The petitioner stated that the original GNA start date of July 1, 2025, was based on an initial timeline of 18 months for the transmission work, as indicated by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). However, after finalizing the Transmission Agreement in July 2024, PGCIL revised the Commercial Operation Date (COD) to January 2027, requiring a 30-month construction period. Based on this change, Hindalco requested CTUIL to revise the GNA start date to January 1, 2027. CTUIL rejected this request, citing that Regulation 22.4(b) of the GNA Regulations only allows date revisions in case of delays in common transmission system augmentation under the ISTS, not for dedicated systems like the one in Hindalco’s case.

The Commission reviewed the submissions and the relevant regulations. It was observed that the dedicated transmission system for Hindalco was outside the scope of ISTS and was being developed under a bilateral agreement with PGCIL. Regulation 22.4(b) pertains only to ISTS augmentations carried out under the regulatory framework notified by the Ministry of Power, not to dedicated systems, even if executed by a licensed transmission company.

CERC concluded that the petitioner’s request to revise the GNA’s effective date was not valid under current regulations. The delay in the transmission project, although acknowledged, did not fall within the scope of Regulation 22.4(b). Therefore, the Commission dismissed the petition and upheld the original GNA start date of July 1, 2025, as per the final grant issued on October 31, 2023. No directions were issued to set aside CTUIL’s letter dated September 23, 2024.