Assessing the Impact of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Open Access Order for Solar Power Generators in Karnataka

This working paper by the World Resources Institute examines the initial impact of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission's (KERC) August 2014 order (S/03/01), which exempted solar power generators achieving Commercial Operation Date before 31 March 2018 from wheeling, banking, and cross subsidy charges for ten years. While the order is welcomed by market participants, the paper finds that tangible on-ground impacts in terms of commissioned megawatts or wheeled energy units will likely only be visible from the fourth quarter of Financial Year 2016 onwards due to the time required for project planning, land acquisition, and power evacuation.

• On 18 August 2014, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) issued order S/03/01, which provided a ten-year exemption from wheeling charges, banking charges, and cross subsidy surcharges for all solar power generators in the state that reached their Commercial Operation Date (COD) by 31 March 2018.
• The KERC implemented the order to address the slow growth of solar installations in Karnataka and the trend of falling solar tariffs relative to increasing utility tariffs, aiming to accelerate solar growth via captive routes and third party open access.
• Although buyers and sellers of solar energy view the order positively, the actual on-ground impact—measured by MUs wheeled or MWs commissioned—is not expected to be evident until the fourth quarter of Financial Year (FY) 2016. This delay is attributed to the time needed to understand the order's implications and resolve logistical challenges such as power evacuation and land acquisition.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Assessing the Impact of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Open Access Order for Solar Power Generators in Karnataka. https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-impact-karnataka-electricity-regulatory-commissions-open-access-order-solar

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Assessing the Impact of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Open Access Order for Solar Power Generators in Karnataka. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-impact-karnataka-electricity-regulatory-commissions-open-access-order-solar.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Assessing the Impact of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Open Access Order for Solar Power Generators in Karnataka |url=https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-impact-karnataka-electricity-regulatory-commissions-open-access-order-solar |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendassessing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Assessing the Impact of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Open Access Order for Solar Power Generators in Karnataka}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-impact-karnataka-electricity-regulatory-commissions-open-access-order-solar}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }