The Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (TGERC) has issued a Draft First Amendment to its 2024 regulation on open access, aiming to clarify procedures related to Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The original regulation, known as TGERC Regulation No. 1 of 2024, was notified on March 18, 2024, in the Extraordinary Telangana Gazette. The new amendment, titled the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (First Amendment to Regulation 1 of 2024 being Terms and Conditions of Open Access Regulation, 2024), Regulation, 2025, seeks to address certain practical issues that have arisen regarding the issuance of RECs to Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) consumers and renewable energy generators.
The amendment is being introduced under the powers granted to the Commission by Sections 181(1), 42(2), 42(4), 39(2)(d)(ii), and 40(c)(ii) of the Electricity Act, 2003. It will apply throughout Telangana and will come into effect from the date of its publication in the Telangana Gazette. The primary purpose behind this amendment is to provide clarity on the entitlement and issuance of RECs for unutilised or surplus banked energy. Under the original 2024 regulation, Clause 33.5 allowed GEOA consumers to receive RECs for any unutilised banked energy. However, a clarification from the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) stated that RECs should instead be issued to the renewable energy generator for any unutilised or surplus energy injected into the grid in a given month.
Following this clarification, the Telangana State Load Despatch Centre (TSLDC) approached the Commission to amend Regulation 1 of 2024 to align with the updated guidance. The move also corresponds with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) Procedure for Implementation of REC Mechanism 2024, which was issued by the Grid Controller of India on March 7, 2024. The proposed amendment intends to shift the entitlement of RECs from GEOA consumers to renewable energy generating stations for the unutilised banked energy.
The Draft Amendment introduces two major changes to the principal regulation. Firstly, Clause 14.11 has been revised to state that any energy injected into the licensee’s network from the date of granting GEOA until the wheeling agreement is submitted will be considered inadvertent power and will not qualify for energy charge payments. Secondly, Clause 33.5 has been updated to include a proviso specifying that renewable energy generating stations will be entitled to RECs for unutilised banked energy. This change ensures that the incentives for renewable energy production are directly linked to the generating stations rather than the consumers.
The Draft Regulation, dated November 15, 2025, has been signed by the Commission Secretary and issued from Hyderabad. By addressing these points, the TGERC aims to bring more clarity and consistency to the implementation of open access for renewable energy in Telangana, ensuring that renewable energy generators are fairly recognized for their contributions to the grid.
The amendment marks an important step in aligning state-level regulations with national REC mechanisms while supporting renewable energy growth in the state.
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