The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has disposed of a review petition filed by Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO) after the state transmission utility decided to withdraw its case. The order was issued on July 16, 2026, by GERC Chairman Pankaj Joshi and Member Hiren Shah, bringing the matter to a close after GETCO informed the Commission that its main concern had already been addressed through subsequent regulatory changes.
The review petition was filed under the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003, seeking a review of a GERC order issued in March 2023. In that earlier order, the Commission had fixed a financial threshold of Rs. 100 crore for implementing intra-state transmission projects through the Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) route. GETCO argued that the threshold was too low and could result in several transmission projects being developed under the competitive bidding mechanism even when they were not suitable from the perspective of generation integration, network planning, and power supply requirements.
To address these concerns, GETCO had requested the Commission to increase the threshold from Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 250 crore. According to the utility, a higher limit would ensure that only larger and more appropriate transmission projects would be developed through the TBCB route, while allowing smaller projects to continue under the existing framework.
During a hybrid hearing held on July 14, 2026, GETCO’s counsel informed the Commission that the principal issue raised in the review petition no longer survived because of changes introduced through the GERC Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) Regulations, 2024. The updated regulations now provide that all new and augmented intra-state transmission projects of 220 kV and above, having an estimated project cost exceeding Rs. 250 crore, excluding land costs, must be implemented through the Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding process.
Since the revised regulations effectively introduced the Rs. 250 crore threshold that GETCO had originally sought, the utility acknowledged that the main relief requested in its review petition had already been granted through the new regulatory framework.
However, GETCO also informed the Commission that it continues to have concerns regarding certain other provisions of the 2024 regulations. Instead of pursuing those issues through the pending review petition, the utility requested permission to withdraw the case unconditionally while reserving the right to file a fresh and independent petition in the future seeking amendments to those specific provisions.
The Electricity Power Transmission Association, which was the respondent in the matter, neither appeared during the hearing nor submitted any written explanation for its absence.
After considering the submissions made by GETCO, the Commission accepted the request to withdraw the petition. GERC permitted the unconditional withdrawal and directed GETCO to submit a supporting affidavit within one week from the date of the order. With this direction, the Commission officially disposed of the review petition, while leaving the utility free to approach the Commission separately on any remaining regulatory concerns in the future.
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