Gujarat Integrated Renewable Energy Policy-2025: Summary of New Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

Policy Notification and Operative Period

The Government of Gujarat officially notified the Gujarat Integrated Renewable Energy Policy-2025 (GIREP-2025) on December 26, 2025, succeeding the 2023 framework. To operationalize this policy, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) received formal approval on May 5, 2026. This regulatory framework remains valid for all registrations and commissioning through a sunset date of December 31, 2030. The policy is designed to scale the state’s renewable capacity from 41 GW to over 100 GW by 2030, a target specifically aligned with the GERC-mandated Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) trajectory of 43.33% by FY 2029-30.

Core Guidelines: Project Categories and Scope

The GIREP-2025 SOP provides a unified implementation structure for a wide array of clean energy technologies. For regulatory and accounting purposes, the AC capacity of a plant is treated as the official installed capacity. The policy covers:

• Solar Installations: Ground-mounted plants (inside/outside solar parks), floating solar, and rooftop systems (residential, commercial, and industrial).
• Wind Power: Both utility-scale and rooftop wind projects.
• Hybrid Systems: Integrated Solar-Wind configurations designed to optimize land and transmission infrastructure.
• Energy Storage: Standalone and co-located Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
• Small-Scale Thresholds: Projects intended for the Distributed Renewable Energy Bilateral Purchase (DREBP) mechanism must fall within the following capacity ranges:
  • Solar: 500 kW to 5 MW.
  • Wind: 500 kW to 10 MW.
• Anti-Splitting Rule: To prevent mid-segment regulatory arbitrage, no single developer or associated entity may interconnect more than one project of the same technology at a single substation.

Operational Framework: Administrative Oversight and Digital Integration

The state has streamlined the administrative lifecycle through a “Single Window” approach to enhance the ease of doing business:

• GEDA (Gujarat Energy Development Agency): Acts as the primary nodal agency for project registration, performance monitoring, and RPO compliance verification.
• AkshayUrja Setu Portal: A centralized digital platform for all procedural requirements, including registration, connectivity permissions, and capacity allocation.
• GUVNL and DISCOMs: These entities manage the DREBP mechanism, allowing small-scale projects to bypass competitive bidding via fixed generic tariffs. They are responsible for executing standard 25-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

Technical Focus: Grid Stability and Storage Integration

A significant technical shift in this SOP is the transition from simple Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) metrics to performance standards that ensure grid reliability:

• Demand Fulfillment Ratio (DFR): For firm and dispatchable renewable energy, developers must maintain a monthly DFR of 90% during peak hours and 80% during off-peak hours.
• Storage Obligation: To support the 100 GW target, the state has mandated a rising Storage Obligation for obligated entities, starting at 1% in 2024-25 and reaching 3.5% by 2029-30.
• Advanced Infrastructure: All projects must utilize ABT-compliant meters with remote monitoring capabilities. Real-time operational data sharing with the State Load Dispatch Center (SLDC) is mandatory to facilitate the “Green Energy Corridors” initiative.
• Standard Alignment: Strict adherence to Central Electricity Authority (CEA) connectivity norms and GERC grid codes is required for all commissioning.

Financial and Regulatory Provisions for Small-Scale Projects

Under the 2024 GERC orders, small-scale developers can avail themselves of fixed generic tariffs. The following table summarizes the commercial terms for projects between 500 kW and the defined threshold limits:

*AD: Accelerated Depreciation. Developers must submit a notarized undertaking regarding their intent to claim AD benefits, subject to annual verification via tax returns.

Residential Incentives: To accelerate the “PM-Surya Ghar” trajectory, the government has implemented a total waiver of application processing fees for all residential rooftop solar consumers.

Timeline, Transition, and Policy Exclusions

• Transition Window: Projects currently sanctioned or under implementation under the 2023 policy are granted a six-month window to complete their current phase before being required to transition to the GIREP-2025 framework.
• Framework Exclusions: Units dedicated to the production of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia are governed by separate, specialized policy frameworks. However, the renewable energy plants supplying these units contribute toward the state’s total capacity and RPO targets.
• Finality of Framework: The GIREP-2025 framework and its associated incentives will expire on December 31, 2030, setting a firm deadline for the state’s 100 GW decarbonization milestone.