Many Gujarat project proposals still quote the 2023 policy. That document is gone. Gujarat replaced it in December 2025. The new rules change who pays surcharges, how banking settles, and how long you have to build an evacuation line.
Quick answer. The current Gujarat solar policy is the Gujarat Integrated Renewable Energy Policy 2025, issued by the Energy and Petrochemicals Department on 24 December 2025. It replaces the 2023 policy and runs to 31 December 2030. It removes capacity caps linked to sanctioned load and exempts true captive projects from cross-subsidy and additional surcharge. It also sets 12 to 36 month evacuation line deadlines by voltage.
TL;DR
- Policy in force: Gujarat Integrated Renewable Energy Policy 2025, dated 24 December 2025, valid to 31 December 2030.
- No cap on captive or third-party project size against the consumer's contracted demand. AC capacity counts as installed capacity.
- Captive projects that meet the Electricity Rules 2005 test pay no cross-subsidy or additional surcharge. Third-party sale projects do.
- Banking settles on the billing cycle for a GERC charge. Without banking, settlement is per 15-minute block.
- Evacuation lines must be commissioned in 12 months at 11 kV and up to 36 months at 400 kV.
This guide is written for the EPC founder or developer planning a captive, group captive or third-party solar project in Gujarat. It reads the policy text clause by clause. For a cross-state comparison, see our state solar policies in India guide, and for open access rules in other states, the India open access state guide. For rooftop net metering paperwork, see the UGVCL net metering guide.
Sources: we read the policy PDF published by the Energy and Petrochemicals Department, Government of Gujarat (copy hosted by JMK Research). The issue date is confirmed by the MNRE Policy and Regulatory Updates, December 2025. Both were accessed on 6 October 2026.
Which Gujarat solar policy applies in 2026?
The Gujarat Integrated Renewable Energy Policy 2025 applies. Clause 3 states it takes effect on notification and runs to 31 December 2030, or until a new policy is notified. MNRE records the issue date as 24 December 2025.
Clause 3 also supersedes the Gujarat Renewable Energy Policy 2023, notified by G.R. dated 4 October 2023. Projects under implementation under the 2023 policy may finish within their agreement period or six months from notification, whichever is later. After that, the 2025 policy governs them.
Benefits apply to projects registered and commissioned in the operative period. They last 25 years from commissioning, or the project life defined by GERC, MoP or MNRE, whichever is earlier.
| Item | Gujarat RE Policy 2025 position | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Energy and Petrochemicals Department, Government of Gujarat | Cover |
| Issue date | 24 December 2025 (per MNRE) | 3 |
| Valid until | 31 December 2030 or a new policy | 3 |
| Supersedes | Gujarat RE Policy 2023 (G.R. 4 October 2023) | 3 |
| Implementing agency | GUVNL | 22.1 |
| State Nodal Agency | GEDA | 22.2 |
| Benefit period | 25 years or project life, whichever is earlier | 3 |
What targets does the policy set?
The policy targets more than 100 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, more than 150 GW by 2035 and 300 GW by 2047. It also aims for more than 50% of total energy consumption from non-fossil sources by 2030.
Targets do not change your project economics directly. They do signal where GETCO, the State Transmission Utility (STU), will plan new substations. Clause 25.2.10 allows the STU to plan substations, lines and storage for high-potential areas.
Who can set up a solar project, and how big?
Clause 7.1 lets any individual, company, association or juridical person set up a project. Clause 7.2 allows captive use, third-party sale, sale to DISCOMs, and REC-registered projects.
Clause 7.3 is the change most EPCs will feel. There is no capacity restriction for captive or third-party projects with respect to the consumer’s contracted demand or sanctioned load. The project’s AC capacity is its installed capacity.
That last line matters for DC to AC ratio design. Policy capacity is counted on the AC side, so a higher DC overload does not raise the registered capacity. Confirm the treatment with GEDA during registration.
How do rooftop, ground-mount and floating projects differ?
The policy covers each project type in clause 8. The table below maps the route each one takes.
| Project type | Route under the 2025 policy | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-mount | Solar park, outside a park, government land or private land. Wheeling allowed on payment of clause 18 charges | 8.1 |
| Rooftop | Net metering or gross metering under GERC regulations | 8.2.1 |
| Group or virtual net metering | Government “may facilitate” once GERC notifies regulations | 8.2.2 |
| Agricultural feeders | PM-KUSUM feeder solarisation, substation-wise lists by DISCOMs | 8.3.1 |
| Floating and canal | Sited with the Narmada and Water Resources Department; licence fee applies | 8.4 |
Group net metering and virtual net metering are not live rights under the policy itself. Clause 8.2.2 ties them to future GERC regulations. Do not sell an apartment or campus client on virtual net metering until GERC notifies the rules.
For feeder solarisation, read our PM-KUSUM Component C explainer. For water bodies, see floating solar PV design in India.
How does banking and energy settlement work?
Clause 17.1 says energy accounting and banking follow GERC rules, in line with the Gujarat Green Energy Open Access Regulations 2024. A consumer who opts for energy banking settles on a billing cycle basis and pays a banking charge set by GERC.
Without banking, or for REC-registered projects, settlement is per 15-minute time block with no banking charge (clause 17.2). Unused energy at the end of the settlement period is treated as inadvertent flow, with no payment, except for residential consumers (clause 17.5).
Two more points from clause 17:
- No banking charge applies to solar power consumed by residential consumers.
- Banking is allowed only to the extent the state grid can absorb RE power, and projects cannot claim compensation if it is limited.
GERC sets the banking charge through amendments to its Green Energy Open Access Regulations. Its Fifth Amendment statement of reasons (2026) kept ₹1.50 per unit up to 31 August 2026.
A draft Sixth Amendment proposed ₹1.00 per unit from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. Confirm the notified figure on the GERC website before you model banking.
What grid charges and surcharges apply?
Clause 18 levies transmission and wheeling charges and losses at the rates GERC sets for normal open access consumers. The amount depends on where the plant sits and where the power is consumed. See our wheeling charges entry for the terms.
Clause 18.8 decides the largest cost line. Captive projects that meet the captive criteria of the Electricity Rules 2005 pay no cross-subsidy surcharge and no additional surcharge. Projects that fail the test count as third-party sale and pay both, at GERC rates.
| Arrangement | Cross-subsidy surcharge | Additional surcharge | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captive (meets Electricity Rules 2005 test) | Not applicable | Not applicable | 18.8 |
| Third-party sale | As set by GERC | As set by GERC | 18.8 |
| Wheeling to more than one location | Plus 5 paise per unit fed in | Not stated | 18.7 |
Clause 18 also adds a design constraint. Injection above the sanctioned transmission capacity in any 15-minute block is inadvertent flow, with no payment or set-off. Size the inverter output and export controls to the capacity you secure from the STU.
What are the GETCO connectivity and evacuation deadlines?
Clause 25.2.2 requires grid integration to follow the CEA Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid Regulations 2019. GETCO grants connectivity under the GERC-approved procedure. Our CEA connectivity regulations guide covers the technical side, and STU vs CTU transmission planning explains when a state connection makes sense.
For projects outside a park, the developer lays a dedicated line to the STU substation as per the system study (clause 25.2.4). Clause 25.2.6 names the Akshay Urja Setu Portal as the single window from registration to commissioning.
Clause 20.4 sets the deadline for the whole evacuation line, bays and metering, counted from the connectivity agreement. This table is the one to put in your project schedule.
| Connectivity voltage | Evacuation line, bays and metering deadline |
|---|---|
| Up to 11 kV | 12 months |
| 66 kV | 18 months |
| 132 kV | 24 months |
| 220 kV | 30 months |
| 400 kV | 36 months |
An extra six months may be granted, but the developer pays charges set by GERC during it. Clause 20.5 then requires at least 10% of allotted capacity to be commissioned within one month of charging the line. The balance 90% is due within one year.
Miss those dates and the bank guarantee can be encashed and connectivity cancelled. These clauses do not apply to projects won through competitive bidding (clause 20.7).
Schedule check. A 220 kV line has 30 months. Land, route survey and design all sit inside that window, so start the site survey and land feasibility work before you sign the connectivity agreement.
What equipment and registration rules apply?
Clause 23 allows only new plant and machinery. Modules must appear on ALMM (Solar) and comply with BIS standards. BESS must meet the applicable rules and standards.
Clause 22.2 requires every RE or BESS project connected to a DISCOM, STU or CTU network in Gujarat to register with GEDA. GEDA also certifies commissioning and accredits REC projects.
For metering, clause 25.1 requires ABT-compliant main, check and standby meters at the metering point. It also requires a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and communication link to the load dispatch centre.
What about DISCOM power purchase and security deposits?
Clause 19.3.1 lets DISCOMs buy from distributed solar projects up to 4 MW at a pre-fixed levelised tariff. That tariff is the simple average of GUVNL solar auction tariffs in the previous six months, plus 20 paise per unit, fixed for 25 years.
Where a DISCOM buys outside a bid or scheme, clause 20.2 requires a bank guarantee of ₹10 lakh per MW at PPA signing. It is refunded if the project reaches commercial operation on time.
Gujarat solar policy checklist for a C&I project
Use this before you price a Gujarat captive or third-party job.
- Confirm the project falls under the 2025 policy, not a 2023 transition window.
- Decide captive or third-party. Test captive status against the Electricity Rules 2005, because surcharges hinge on it.
- Register with GEDA and apply for connectivity on the Akshay Urja Setu Portal.
- Choose banking or 15-minute settlement, and pull the current GERC banking charge.
- Size AC export to the sanctioned transmission capacity to avoid inadvertent flow.
- Put the clause 20.4 deadline for your voltage into the schedule, with the 10% and 90% commissioning steps.
- Specify ALMM-listed modules and ABT metering with an RTU.
For a ground-mount project, our solar ground-mount design team prepares layouts, civil and cable drawings sized to the connectivity you secure. Electrical drawings for inspection follow the CEIG drawing approval process.
FAQ
Is the Gujarat Solar Policy 2021 or 2023 still valid?
No. The Gujarat RE Policy 2023 is superseded by the 2025 policy under clause 3. Projects already under implementation get the later of their agreement period or six months from notification to finish.
Does Gujarat cap rooftop solar at sanctioned load?
For captive and third-party projects, clause 7.3 removes any cap linked to contracted demand or sanctioned load. Rooftop net metering limits still follow GERC net metering regulations, so check them with your DISCOM.
Is virtual net metering available in Gujarat?
Not yet as a right. Clause 8.2.2 says the state may facilitate group and virtual net metering once GERC notifies regulations.
Who is the nodal agency for solar in Gujarat?
GEDA is the State Nodal Agency for registration and commissioning. GUVNL implements and monitors the policy, and GETCO handles STU connectivity.
Next step
The 2025 policy rewards projects that get captive status, metering and evacuation right on paper first. If you are scoping a Gujarat project and want design drawings built around these clauses, send us the project details. We reply within one business day.
This article reads the policy as published. It is not legal or regulatory advice. Verify charges, timelines and eligibility with GEDA, GETCO, your DISCOM and GERC before you commit. Next review: April 2027, or sooner if GERC changes banking charges.