Open Access in Haryana: Regulations, Eligibility, Procedure and Charges

Open Access in Haryana: Regulations, Eligibility, Procedure and Charges

1. Introduction: what open access is and why it matters in Haryana

Open access lets a consumer or generator use the transmission and distribution network of a licensee to buy or sell electricity from a source other than the local distribution company (DISCOM), on payment of network charges. In Haryana this means buying power from a generator, trader or power exchange and wheeling it over HVPNL's transmission system and the UHBVN or DHBVN distribution network to your premises.

The main reasons consumers use it are lower landed cost than the DISCOM tariff, access to renewable energy (including captive solar and wind), and supply from the exchanges. The main reasons it can fail commercially are the extra levies a consumer pays for leaving the DISCOM: the cross-subsidy surcharge, the additional surcharge, wheeling and transmission charges and losses.

Haryana has two parallel rule books, and picking the right one is the first decision:

• General (conventional) open access, governed by the HERC open access regulations of 2012, as amended.
• Green Energy Open Access (GEOA), governed by the HERC Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023, as amended in 2025. It has a much lower eligibility threshold (100 kW) and is meant for renewable power.

This article explains the legal framework, the institutions, eligibility, the application route, the charges, banking, scheduling, and the most recent regulatory developments up to October 2026. Where I could only confirm a figure from secondary reporting rather than the regulation text itself, the article says so, and section 11 lists what to verify before you rely on it.

2. Legal and regulatory framework

Open access in Haryana sits on four layers: the Electricity Act, central rules, HERC regulations, and the procedures and orders that implement them.

Central law

• Electricity Act, 2003. The Act makes non-discriminatory open access to transmission and distribution networks a statutory right, subject to charges fixed by the State Commission. Section 42 allows a cross-subsidy surcharge (to compensate the DISCOM for losing high-tariff consumers) and an additional surcharge (to cover the DISCOM's stranded fixed costs from long-term power purchase commitments). The Supreme Court has upheld the DISCOM's right to recover stranded costs, and the DISCOMs relied on this in the recent additional surcharge petitions before HERC.
• Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022. These Central rules set the 100 kW threshold for green open access. HERC's 2023 regulations and the 2025 amendment were written to align with them.
• Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2024. These say the additional surcharge should not be levied to the extent of the contract demand the consumer keeps with the DISCOM. IEX cited them in HERC proceedings; HERC did not accept the argument (see section 10).

HERC regulations

The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) was set up on 17 August 1998 under the Haryana Electricity Reform Act, 1997. The regulations that matter for open access are:

Instrument	What it covers
HERC (Terms and Conditions for Grant of Connectivity and Open Access for Intra-State Transmission and Distribution System) Regulations, 2012, as amended	The principal rules for general open access: eligibility, long, medium and short-term access, procedure, charges, surcharges, relinquishment
HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2023	Green open access for consumers of 100 kW and above, nodal agencies, banking, charges
HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2023, 1st Amendment Regulations, 2025	Approved 25 February 2025; clarifies eligibility, surcharge exemption for offshore wind, simultaneous long, medium and short-term access for captive consumers
HERC Forecasting, Scheduling and Deviation Settlement for Solar and Wind Generation Regulations, 2019, and the Deviation Settlement Mechanism regulations (revised draft issued 2025)	Scheduling, imbalance and deviation charges
HERC Renewable Energy tariff, RPO and REC Regulations, 2021	Includes Regulation 68 on wheeling and transmission charge exemption for older captive solar plants
HERC Electricity Supply Code Regulations	Connection, contract demand, metering and billing rules that interact with open access

Procedures and orders

In November 2023 HERC approved the SLDC/HVPNL procedures for grant of connectivity and green energy open access, and UHBVN's detailed banking procedure and model banking agreement. Charges such as wheeling, cross-subsidy surcharge and the additional surcharge are fixed in separate HERC tariff and petition orders, which change every year or half-year. Always read the latest order, not a summary.

Where the Green Energy Open Access Regulations are silent, they point to the 2012 Open Access Regulations, the Supply Code and the scheduling and deviation regulations to fill the gap.

3. Key institutions and their roles

Five bodies decide whether your open access request goes through, so you need to know who handles what.

Body	Role in open access
Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC), Panchkula	Makes the regulations; fixes wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge and additional surcharge; hears disputes (for example a refused NOC)
Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL) as State Transmission Utility (STU)	Nodal agency for connectivity and for medium-term and long-term open access; runs system studies; issues NOCs with the Grid Co-ordination Committee; levies transmission charges and relinquishment charges
State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC), Panipat	Nodal agency for short-term open access (up to one month under the green rules); registration of open access users; scheduling, energy accounting and deviation settlement
UHBVN (north) and DHBVN (south)	The distribution licensees: wheel the power over their network, levy wheeling charges and surcharges, sign banking agreements, handle metering and billing for the consumer's connection
Grid Co-ordination Committee	Joins the STU, SLDC and utilities in assessing whether the grid can take a request; its view has been central in recent NOC disputes

Under the green regulations, applications for connectivity and green open access go through the single-window green energy open access portal developed by the Central Nodal Agency, with the STU as the entry point. Under the general 2012 regulations the same split of work between the STU (longer-term access) and the SLDC (short-term access) applies in practice, but confirm the current nodal agency and portal for your category before filing.

Which DISCOM applies depends on where the consumer's connection is: UHBVN serves northern Haryana and DHBVN the south. Both are covered by the same HERC orders on surcharges.

4. Types of open access

Haryana grants open access by duration. The longer the term, the higher the priority when the network is tight, and the more it involves HVPNL.

Type	Duration	Nodal agency	Notes
Long-term open access (LTOA)	Multi-year; 25 years is seen in practice (a captive solar plant in Hisar supplying a Jhajjar factory has a 25-year LTOA)	STU (HVPNL)	Needs system studies and NOC; highest priority; relinquishment charges apply if you exit early
Medium-term open access (MTOA)	Between short-term and long-term; exact band is set in the regulations	STU (HVPNL)	Verify the band in the current regulations
Short-term open access (STOA)	Up to one month under the green rules	SLDC	Uses spare capacity left after long and medium-term users; includes day-ahead and exchange transactions
Green Energy Open Access (GEOA)	Long, medium and short-term, same bands as above	SLDC for up to one month, STU beyond	For renewable power only; 100 kW threshold; processed under the 2023 regulations

Order of priority

When capacity is short, long-term access ranks above medium-term, and medium-term above short-term. In the Jindal Stainless case of June 2026, HERC noted that long-term open access has higher priority under national regulations than temporary arrangements such as T-GNA (a short-term access product used for inter-state transactions).

Which route should you choose?

• You want renewable power and have 100 kW or more of contract demand or sanctioned load: use GEOA. It is the only route open to consumers between 100 kW and the general threshold.
• You want conventional or exchange power: use general open access under the 2012 regulations, which has a higher eligibility threshold (section 5).
• You own a captive plant: captive consumers can hold long, medium and short-term access at the same time under the 2025 amendment, provided total drawal stays within the approved contract demand. Captive users are also exempt from the additional surcharge in HERC's recent orders.
• You want a few months of cheap power: short-term access is quick to obtain, but you are exposed to capacity availability and exchange prices, and you pay the same surcharges.

5. Eligibility criteria

Eligibility depends on the route. Green open access starts at 100 kW; general open access has historically started higher, at 1 MW.

Green Energy Open Access

• Size: contracted demand or sanctioned load of 100 kW or more.
• Aggregation (2025 amendment): several connections of the same consumer within the same electricity operation division of a DISCOM can be added together to reach 100 kW. Before the amendment only a single connection of 100 kW counted.
• Connection voltage: the draft regulations referred to consumers connected at 11 kV or above, and group consumers at 11 kV or above may also qualify. Check the final text for your connection.
• Non-independent feeders: a consumer not on an independent feeder can still get open access, but must accept system constraints and any power cut restrictions imposed by the DISCOM.
• Drawal limit: total drawal from open access plus the DISCOM must stay within the sanctioned contract demand. Captive consumers face no cap on the quantum of green power they can source.
• Generators: renewable generators, including non-fossil waste-to-energy plants, can seek connectivity and open access to the intra-state system.

General (conventional) open access under the 2012 regulations

The long-standing threshold in Haryana is a contract demand of 1 MW and above, connected at 11 kV or above, with larger consumers (10 MW and above) eligible for connectivity at 33 kV or above. I found these figures only in a secondary summary of HERC's guidelines, and the original regulation text could not be opened (the HERC site blocks automated access), so confirm the current threshold in the consolidated 2012 regulations. A reading of the 2025 draft comments by IIT Kanpur's centre for energy regulation also shows commentators pressing for a link between connectivity and open access: a consumer should hold or have applied for connectivity before open access is granted.

Disqualifiers and conditions that apply to both routes

• You must have, or apply for, connectivity to the intra-state transmission or distribution system.
• You cannot draw beyond your approved contract demand across DISCOM and open access supply combined.
• Your metering must meet the specified standard (see section 9), and the procedure may ask for further documents from the DISCOM, such as a no-dues or consent letter. Confirm that with the DISCOM.
• The grid must have spare capacity at your point of drawal. HVPNL and the Grid Co-ordination Committee can refuse or restrict a request on grid grounds, which is the fight in the Jindal Stainless case (section 10).

6. Step-by-step application procedure

The sequence below is the practical route for a Haryana consumer. The exact forms, fees and deadlines sit in the HVPNL/SLDC procedures approved by HERC, so treat the steps as a map and check each against the current procedure before filing.

1. Decide the route and term. Choose GEOA or general open access, then long, medium or short term (sections 4 and 5). Decide whether you are a captive user, a third-party buyer or an exchange buyer.
2. Confirm your contract demand and connection. Eligibility is counted on contract demand or sanctioned load, and your total drawal must stay within it. If the plan needs more or less demand, sort that with the DISCOM first.
3. Apply for connectivity (if needed). The generator side needs connectivity to the intra-state grid, and the consumer side needs it where it is not already connected. For green projects the HVPNL procedure for connectivity and green open access applies.
4. File the open access application on the portal. Under the green rules all applications for connectivity and green open access go through the single-window green energy open access portal, with the STU at the entry point. Pay the non-refundable application fee and attach the documents the procedure lists.
5. System study and grid clearance. For long and medium-term access, HVPNL studies whether the network can carry the power. It may need the Grid Co-ordination Committee's view and issues an NOC. This is the stage where requests get delayed or trimmed.
6. Decision. Under the green rules the state nodal agency is expected to decide applications within 30 days. If your request is refused or cut, you can petition HERC, as Jindal Stainless did.
7. Sign agreements. For long-term access this means an open access agreement with HVPNL and the DISCOM. If you want to bank renewable energy, you also sign a banking agreement with the DISCOM using UHBVN's model agreement. HERC has directed that banking applications be processed in parallel with open access applications, and banking can take effect from the date long-term access becomes operational and a charging code is allotted.
8. Register with the SLDC. Open access users register with the SLDC for scheduling, accounting and deviation settlement (section 9).
9. Install and test metering. Energy at the injection point and the drawal point must be measured and reported to the standard in the procedure.
10. Start scheduling. Submit schedules through the SLDC, pay the scheduling charges and settle deviations.

Changing a long-term arrangement

If you move your point of drawal, HVPNL can treat that as a fresh open access arrangement under Regulation 6(10) of the 2012 regulations and claim relinquishment charges. A Jhajjar manufacturer with a 25-year long-term arrangement faced exactly this when it moved its connection from a 33 kV to a 132 kV substation. HERC allowed the shift in an order reported in October 2026. Relinquishment charges are a percentage of the applicable transmission and wheeling charges, so plan any change of location with HVPNL before you commit.

7. Charges and surcharges payable

The saving from open access is the DISCOM tariff minus your landed cost of open access power. Landed cost is the energy price you negotiate or pay on the exchange, plus every charge below, plus the energy lost in transmission and distribution. Most open access projects in Haryana succeed or fail on the surcharges, so model them first.

Summary of charges

Charge	Who levies it	What it pays for	How it is fixed
Transmission charges	HVPNL	Use of the intra-state transmission network	Determined by HERC for HVPNL; check the current tariff order
Wheeling charges	UHBVN / DHBVN	Use of the distribution network	Determined by HERC in the tariff order, normally per unit and by voltage level
Cross-subsidy surcharge (CSS)	UHBVN / DHBVN	Compensates the DISCOM for the cross-subsidy that high-tariff consumers would have paid	Determined by HERC under Regulation 22 of the 2012 regulations, by consumer category
Additional surcharge	UHBVN / DHBVN	Recovers the DISCOM's stranded fixed costs for power it has contracted but cannot sell because you left	Determined by HERC half-yearly on a DISCOM petition
Standby charges	DISCOM	Backup supply when the open access source fails, wherever applicable	Under the regulations; the Ministry of Power's cap of 25 percent of energy charges was discussed in the 2025 amendment proceedings, so check the final text
Banking charges	DISCOM	Banking of renewable energy (section 8)	Under the green regulations and banking procedure
Application fee and SLDC fees	HVPNL / SLDC	Processing, registration and operation	Fee schedule in the procedure
Scheduling charges	SLDC	Scheduling of your transactions	Under the scheduling and DSM regulations
Deviation settlement (imbalance) charges	SLDC	Gap between scheduled and actual energy	Under the deviation settlement regulations
Reactive energy charges	DISCOM / SLDC	Reactive power drawn or supplied	Under the regulations
Transmission and distribution losses	In kind	Energy lost in wheeling, deducted from what you receive	Percentages approved by HERC
Relinquishment charges	HVPNL	Exit from long or medium-term access before the term ends	A percentage of the applicable transmission and wheeling charges

HERC has said that reliability charges do not apply to open access consumers, but imbalance charges do, under the DSM or open access regulations.

The additional surcharge in detail

The additional surcharge is the most volatile item. HERC fixes it for each half-year on a petition from UHBVN and DHBVN. The method is to take the energy the DISCOMs could not sell because of open access in the earlier comparable half-year, multiply it by the approved average fixed cost of power per unit, and divide by the open access consumption projected for the new period.

\text{Additional surcharge} = \frac{\text{Stranded energy} \times \text{Average fixed cost}}{\text{Projected open access consumption}}

In the order that set the ₹1.37 per unit figure, the Commission used 144.70 million units of stranded energy (October 2024 to March 2025 data), an average fixed cost of ₹1.44 per kWh from the FY 2025-26 tariff order, and projected open access consumption of 152.26 million units. That gives about ₹1.37 per kWh.

Period	Additional surcharge	Basis
First half of FY 2025-26	₹1.21 per kWh	86 million units stranded against estimated open access consumption of 101.73 million units (April to September 2024 data)
Second half of FY 2025-26	₹1.37 per kWh, up about 13 percent	144.70 million units stranded against projected 152.26 million units

Who pays and who does not:

• It applies to consumers in the UHBVN and DHBVN areas who buy power from sources other than the DISCOM, over the intra-state or inter-state system.
• Consumers who generate power for their own use through captive plants are exempt.
• HERC rejected the argument that the surcharge cannot apply to the extent of the contract demand a consumer keeps with the DISCOM, and held that its own open access regulations and the Act allow the levy (section 10).
• Under the 2025 amendment, power from offshore wind projects commissioned up to December 2032 and supplied to open access consumers is exempt from the additional surcharge. The earlier exemption deadline was December 2025.

The order is stated to apply until HERC issues a revised rate. Because the rate changes with each petition, always use the figure in the latest order when you price a project.

Exemptions and special treatment worth knowing

• Older captive solar plants: HERC clarified that the exemption from transmission and wheeling charges for captive solar plants commissioned on or before 13 February 2019, given in Regulation 68 of the 2021 renewable energy regulations, continues to apply even though the 2023 green regulations list those charges for green open access consumers.
• Long-term renewable open access and deviation charges: the 2025 amendment proceedings clarified that overdrawal penalties should not apply to long-term open access consumers using solar and wind power, subject to scheduling compliance.
• Cross-subsidy surcharge and wheeling charge values: these are fixed in each year's HERC tariff order. HERC kept the retail tariff unchanged for FY 2026-27, in effect from 1 April 2026, but I could not open the order to confirm the wheeling and cross-subsidy surcharge figures. Some websites publish estimates of these numbers; I have not used them because I could not trace them to the order. Take them from the tariff order and the DISCOM's schedule of general charges.

8. Banking of energy

Banking lets a renewable generator or consumer inject energy into the DISCOM's system when it is generated and take back an equivalent amount later, which helps when generation and your consumption do not line up (for example solar output at midday against a night shift). In Haryana it is a feature of the green open access regime and is run by the DISCOM through a banking agreement.

Rules reported for Haryana

• Who can bank: renewable energy based captive generating plants can bank power up to their contract demand for captive or own use, by paying banking charges and the transmission and distribution losses.
• Cap on banking: banked energy of green open access consumers cannot exceed 30 percent of their total monthly consumption from the distribution licensee.
• Accounting: banking is counted on a daily basis for the monthly account. Banked energy that is not used by the end of the billing cycle lapses, and excess beyond the permitted level is treated as dumped energy.
• Banking charges: the draft regulations proposed banking charges of 8 percent of the energy banked. I could not confirm whether the final regulations kept that figure, so check the notified text and the UHBVN banking procedure.
• Agreement: a banking agreement with the DISCOM is needed. HERC approved UHBVN's detailed banking procedure and model banking agreement in November 2023.
• Timing: HERC has directed DISCOMs to process banking applications in parallel with open access applications, and banking can begin from the date the long-term open access becomes operational and the charging code is allotted.
• Draw of banked energy in peak slots: a stakeholder proposal to allow drawal of banked energy in higher time-of-day slots against extra banking charges was raised during the 2025 amendment hearing but was treated as outside the scope of that amendment, so do not assume it is allowed.

Practical effect

Because banked energy lapses at the end of the billing cycle and the 30 percent ceiling applies, banking is a way to smooth intra-month mismatch and not a way to store energy across months. Size your renewable plant to your consumption profile, and work out how much of your generation you can really bank before you commit to a project.

9. Scheduling, metering, deviation settlement and operational rules

Getting approval is half the job. Once power flows, you must schedule it, measure it and settle any difference, and mistakes cost money.

Registration with the SLDC

The SLDC processes the registration of intra-state entities that want to use interstate or intrastate green open access, and registration is a pre-condition for scheduling. Registration details, formats and fees come from the SLDC/HVPNL procedure.

Scheduling and forecasting

• Open access users must submit schedules through the SLDC and follow the Indian Electricity Grid Code and the Haryana state grid code.
• Solar and wind transactions fall under the HERC Forecasting, Scheduling and Deviation Settlement for Solar and Wind Generation Regulations, 2019. Open access consumers drawing renewable power must comply with these regulations.
• The revised 2025 draft Deviation Settlement Mechanism regulations apply to open access generators, deemed licensees, distribution licensees and fully open access consumers connected to the intra-state grid, and to inter-state wheeling transactions of 10 MW and above. They require all entities to notify the SLDC of their energy contracts, and they set rules for scheduling and despatch, deviation measurement and the state deviation pool account. They were reported as a revised draft; confirm whether they are now final.

Deviation (imbalance) charges

When actual drawal or injection differs from the schedule, the difference is settled at the rates in the deviation regulations. HERC has confirmed that green open access consumers pay imbalance charges, but that overdrawal penalties should not apply to long-term open access consumers using solar and wind power.

Drawal limits

Total drawal from open access plus the DISCOM must stay within the sanctioned contract demand, with a maximum allowable drawal in any time block. Exceeding contract demand brings the usual penalties under the supply code and tariff order.

Curtailment and system constraints

Consumers who are not on independent feeders have open access subject to system constraints and power cut restrictions. The state's peak demand can reach about 16,500 MW, and HVPNL and the Grid Co-ordination Committee have cited transmission constraints, especially in summer, to restrict long-term open access. In the Jindal Stainless case HERC rejected a blanket summer restriction and required HVPNL to build the operating procedure for the consumer's voluntary curtailment and DSM commitments instead.

Metering

Open access needs metering at the injection point and at the consumer's point of drawal, capable of recording the data the SLDC needs for time-block accounting. The metering specifications are in the procedure and the Central Electricity Authority's metering regulations. Confirm the meter class and communication requirements before you buy equipment.

Changing the point of drawal

A physical change of the drawal point can be treated by HVPNL as a fresh open access arrangement (Regulation 6(10)) with relinquishment charges, though HERC allowed one such shift where the approved quantum and the corridor stayed the same (section 6).

10. Recent developments and case law (2023 to 2026)

Date	Development	Why it matters
October 2026 (reported)	HERC allowed Merino Industries to shift its power drawal point from the 33 kV Rohad substation to the 132 kV Sampla substation, in a dispute over HVPNL's demand for relinquishment charges	A relocation of the drawal point is not automatically a termination of long-term open access, where the approved quantum and corridor are unchanged
23 June 2026	HERC order for Jindal Stainless: HVPNL and the Grid Co-ordination Committee had refused a full NOC for 100 MW round-the-clock renewable power for the Hisar plant. HERC found the blanket summer restriction legally unjustified and told HVPNL to frame procedures and issue the full NOC within two weeks	Grid constraints cannot be a blanket reason to cut long-term open access; voluntary curtailment and DSM commitments can be a workable answer; long-term access ranks above temporary access
25 March 2026	HERC kept the retail power tariff unchanged for FY 2026-27, from 1 April 2026	The retail tariff is the baseline against which your open access saving is measured
Order reported 5 May 2026	Additional surcharge raised to ₹1.37 per kWh from ₹1.21, described as the figure for the second half of FY 2025-26	A 13 percent rise in the surcharge for non-captive open access consumers in UHBVN and DHBVN areas
2025 (reported August)	Additional surcharge of ₹1.21 per kWh set for the first half of FY 2025-26; IEX objected based on the 2024 Central rules, HERC sided with the DISCOMs	Confirms that HERC levies the surcharge even on consumption within contract demand, until a court or rule says otherwise
2025	Revised draft Deviation Settlement Mechanism regulations issued	Will govern scheduling and imbalance for open access users
25 February 2025	First amendment to the Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023	Aggregation of connections for the 100 kW threshold, offshore wind surcharge exemption to December 2032, captive users may hold long, medium and short-term access together, DSM clarified for long-term renewable access
November 2023	HERC approved HVPNL/SLDC procedures for connectivity and green open access, and UHBVN's banking procedure and model banking agreement	Gave the green regulations an operating procedure
April 2023	Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023 notified	Brought the 100 kW green open access regime to Haryana

A note on the surcharge dates: the news reports describe the ₹1.37 order as being for the second half of FY 2025-26 yet report it in May 2026, and one report says it applies from 30 April 2026. Check the order date and its effective date before using it in a calculation.

What the cases tell you

• Expect pushback on capacity. HVPNL and the Grid Co-ordination Committee have restricted or refused long-term access on grid grounds. HERC will hear a petition, and it has sided with the consumer when the restriction was blanket and unreasoned.
• Offer curtailment and DSM commitments as part of your application where the grid is tight. This was central to the Jindal Stainless outcome.
• Plan relocations and expansions with HVPNL before filing, to avoid relinquishment disputes.
• Expect the additional surcharge to change every half-year, so build a sensitivity case into your financial model.

11. Practical checklist, common challenges and points to verify

Checklist before you apply

• Pick the route: GEOA (100 kW and above, renewable power) or general open access (higher threshold, conventional or exchange power).
• Confirm contract demand or sanctioned load, connection voltage and whether you are on an independent feeder.
• Decide the term (long, medium or short) and whether you are a captive user.
• Model the landed cost: energy price, transmission and wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge, additional surcharge (unless captive), losses, banking, scheduling and deviation cost.
• Run a sensitivity case for the additional surcharge, which changed from ₹1.21 to ₹1.37 per kWh between two orders.
• Ask HVPNL early about grid capacity at your drawal point, and prepare a voluntary curtailment proposal if the area is constrained.
• Prepare the DISCOM banking agreement if you will bank renewable energy.
• Arrange metering to the specified standard and register with the SLDC.
• Keep the HERC petition route in mind if an NOC is refused or trimmed.

Common challenges

• Grid congestion and summer restrictions on long-term access.
• Changing surcharges and the lack of a fixed rate over a project's life.
• Banking limits (30 percent ceiling, lapse at the end of the billing cycle).
• Deviation charges where forecasting is poor.
• Relinquishment charges when you change location or exit early.

Conclusion

Open access in Haryana provides an important mechanism for eligible consumers and generators to procure and use electricity from sources other than their local DISCOM, subject to compliance with the Electricity Act, 2003, Central Rules, HERC Regulations and applicable procedures. The success of an open access arrangement depends not only on the availability of cheaper or renewable power but also on careful evaluation of transmission and wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge, additional surcharge, banking provisions, scheduling requirements, deviation settlement and grid availability.

With the increasing focus on renewable energy and captive power procurement, Green Energy Open Access has created wider opportunities for consumers, particularly those seeking renewable power solutions. However, every project requires a case-specific assessment of eligibility, applicable charges, regulatory approvals and commercial feasibility before implementation.

The regulatory framework governing open access in Haryana continues to evolve through amendments, tariff orders and HERC decisions. Therefore, consumers, generators and industry stakeholders should regularly verify the latest regulations, orders and procedures before taking any commercial decision.

Disclaimer: This article is prepared only for general information and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal, regulatory or commercial advice. Readers should verify the latest HERC regulations, orders and applicable procedures and seek professional advice before relying upon any information for a specific project or transaction.