The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has issued the Sixth Amendment Regulations, 2026, for Green Energy Open Access, introducing revised rules for banking charges and energy accounting across Gujarat. The regulations will take effect from the date of their publication in the official Gazette.
Under the new framework, a banking charge of ₹1.00 per unit will apply from September 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. From April 1, 2027, the charge will be determined for each financial year using operational data from the immediately preceding calendar year or another period specified by GERC. The commission has also fixed a floor of ₹0.50 per unit and a ceiling of ₹1.50 per unit to limit significant fluctuations.
Distribution licensees are required to submit complete and verified operational data to GERC through sworn affidavits. The commission may verify the information through the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC). If a distribution licensee fails to provide the required data within the prescribed timeframe, its banking charge will be treated as nil until compliance is achieved.
The regulations also include a deemed revenue adjustment of 1 paisa per unit per year of total energy handled. This adjustment will be applied on a pro-rata basis while determining the Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR), ensuring that financial impacts arising from non-compliance are not transferred to open-access consumers.
GERC may prescribe uniform banking charges for state-owned distribution companies, including DGVCL, PGVCL, MGVCL and UGVCL. Similar arrangements may apply to small distribution licensees purchasing power exclusively from state utilities and to private licensees with common power procurement arrangements. Entities operating in SEZs, SIRs, ports and newly established distribution areas may also be covered by uniform charges.
The revised methodology calculates banking costs using 15-minute time blocks during each monthly billing cycle. Banked energy will be accounted for on a First-In-First-Out basis and limited to 30% of a consumer’s monthly electricity consumption from the distribution licensee.
Energy banked during off-peak periods cannot be used during peak hours, while peak-period banked energy can be utilized during off-peak periods. Energy exceeding the 30% limit or remaining unused at the end of the billing cycle will lapse.
The final banking charge per unit will be calculated by dividing the aggregate net banking cost by eligible banked energy, excluding lapsed units. The calculation considers energy injection, consumption patterns, BESS-related charges, distribution losses and power exchange clearing prices.
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