The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has dismissed a petition filed by M/s. Ratnagiri Wind Power Projects Pvt. Ltd. (RWPPPL) seeking reconnection of its 1.6 MW Wind Turbine Generator (WTG T-43) to the electricity grid in Maharashtra. The final order was issued on August 19, 2026, by a three-member bench comprising Chairperson Valsa Nair Singh and members Anand M. Limaye and Surendra J. Biyani.
RWPPPL commissioned WTG T-43 in October 2015 after receiving initial infrastructure clearance. However, the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) did not grant formal registration in 2016, citing a micro-siting violation involving the required distance from a public road.
Despite not having an executed Energy Purchase Agreement (EPA), the turbine continued supplying electricity to the grid until June 5, 2020. MSEDCL disconnected the turbine following directions from the Maharashtra State Load Despatch Centre (MSLDC), which sought removal of uncontracted generation capacity to maintain grid safety.
RWPPPL approached MERC in October 2024, challenging the disconnection. The company sought immediate reconnection, execution of a 25-year retrospective EPA from October 2015 at applicable generic tariffs, approximately Rs 3.29 crore for electricity supplied between 2015 and 2020, and compensation for losses resulting from the disconnection.
MSEDCL and MEDA opposed the petition, arguing that electricity cannot be injected into the grid without a valid EPA. They also maintained that claims relating to 2015–2017 were barred by the three-year limitation period. Further, they argued that forcing MSEDCL to purchase power at preferential tariffs would increase costs for consumers when competitively procured electricity was available at lower rates.
MERC upheld the actions of MSEDCL and MSLDC. The Commission noted that Section 32 of the Electricity Act, 2003, along with state Forecasting and Scheduling Regulations, requires power scheduling to be supported by valid written contracts. Since RWPPPL had no executed EPA, the disconnection was held to be lawful, leaving no basis for compensation for lost generation.
The Commission also rejected the monetary claims, observing that contractual claims related to credit notes issued between 2015 and 2017 were subject to a three-year limitation period that expired in January 2020.
MERC further clarified that it does not have jurisdiction under Section 86(1)(f) of the Electricity Act to resolve registration disputes between RWPPPL and MEDA, as MEDA is not a distribution licensee.
Accordingly, MERC dismissed Case No. 169 of 2024, while allowing RWPPPL to approach an appropriate legal authority or court regarding its registration dispute with MEDA.
