The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has dismissed a petition filed by solar developers Sh. Narender Singh and Shri Yogender Chauhan in an order dated April 22, 2026. The developers had requested approval to sign Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the Haryana Power Purchase Centre (HPPC) at a tariff of ₹2.99 per unit, claiming they deserved the same benefit given to other developers after a court ruling.
The issue goes back to 2016 when HPPC invited bids for 150 MW of solar projects. Thirteen developers, including the petitioners, received Letters of Intent (LOIs). However, in September 2016, the Commission rejected the approvals, stating that the bidding process did not follow proper government guidelines and that the discovered tariffs were not in line with market rates at that time.
After this rejection, six of the thirteen developers challenged the decision before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). The current petitioners did not file any appeal then. In September 2024, APTEL ruled in favor of those six developers and set aside the Commission’s earlier order. Following this, in 2025, those developers were allowed to sign PPAs at a tariff of Rs. 2.99 per unit.
Based on this outcome, the petitioners argued that they were part of the same group of developers and should be treated equally. They said that under the principle of equality, they should also be allowed to sign PPAs at the same tariff.
However, HPPC opposed the petition, stating that the developers had waited too long to raise their claim. It argued that the APTEL judgment applied only to the parties who had filed the appeal and not to others who did not take action. HPPC also pointed out that the original LOIs were conditional and became invalid after the 2016 rejection.
The Commission agreed with HPPC and said that the law favors those who actively pursue their rights. It noted that parties cannot wait for others to succeed in court and then try to claim the same benefits later. The Commission also referred to legal principles that delay can weaken a claim.
In addition, the Commission examined the tariff issue and found that recent solar bids in 2026 have discovered lower prices ranging from ₹2.86 to ₹2.97 per unit. It stated that approving a higher tariff would go against its responsibility to ensure affordable power for consumers.
Based on these reasons, the Commission rejected the petition. It also clarified that the developers are free to take part in future bidding opportunities.
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