What a project needs before it can supply
Projects need a tender award, grid access and listed equipment before supply. The approvals below are the ones a utility-scale developer, a C&I open-access supplier or an equipment maker will meet. No standard timelines apply; timing depends on the tender schedule, land and grid availability, so the brief does not state durations for these steps.
Approvals and registrations
| Approval or registration | Authority and portal | When it is needed |
|---|---|---|
| Tender award and power purchase agreement | SECI, NTPC, NHPC, SJVN or a state utility, under the standard bidding guidelines | Before construction of tendered projects. The PPA follows a power sale agreement (PSA) with a buyer; unsigned PSAs reached 42 GW by late 2025. |
| Connectivity and General Network Access (GNA) | Central Transmission Utility (CTUIL) under CERC’s GNA Regulations, amended in 2025 | For projects using the inter-state grid. Where ISTS lines lag, new projects may run on temporary GNA and face curtailment risk. |
| ALMM enlistment for modules, cells and wind turbines | MNRE: ALMM List-I (modules), List-II (cells) and ALMM-Wind | Covered projects must use listed equipment. List-II was issued on 31 July 2025; the ALMM-Wind procedure (SOP) on 29 October 2025. |
| BIS registration for modules, inverters and batteries | BIS, under the Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order 2025 (MNRE) | Before covered products are sold or deployed in India. |
| State registration, land and incentives | State nodal agency (for example RREC in Rajasthan) and land revenue authorities | Register the project and obtain in-principle clearance to claim state incentives; government land is allotted under state rules. |
| Green energy open access | Distribution licensee and state commission, under the GEOA Rules 2022 | For commercial and industrial buyers with contract demand of 100 kW or more. |
| Nuclear licence and safety authorisation | Central Government licence and AERB safety authorisation (SHANTI Act 2025) | To set up a nuclear facility or to produce, use or dispose of nuclear energy. |
The approvals in sequence
Tender award and PPA
Central renewable energy implementing agencies (SECI, NTPC, NHPC and SJVN) and state utilities award capacity under the standard bidding guidelines. A letter of award is not a contract to build: the power purchase agreement is signed only after the agency has a power sale agreement with a buying utility. The gap between awards and signed PSAs reached 42 GW by late 2025 (SBI sector report, Apr 2026), and awards for unviable projects can be cancelled.
Connectivity and GNA
Projects that will sell inter-state apply to CTUIL for connectivity and General Network Access under CERC’s GNA Regulations, amended in 2025. Where inter-state transmission lines lag generation, a new project may operate on temporary GNA and be curtailed when the grid is constrained.
ALMM and BIS
MNRE’s Approved List of Models and Manufacturers has three lists: List-I for modules, List-II for cells (issued 31 July 2025) and ALMM-Wind for turbines and components (procedure issued 29 October 2025). Covered projects must use listed equipment; which list applies depends on the tender. Separately, modules, inverters and batteries need BIS registration under the Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order 2025 before they are sold or deployed.
State registration
Each state’s nodal agency (RREC in Rajasthan, for example) registers the project and grants the in-principle clearance that state incentives such as electricity duty and stamp duty exemptions depend on. Government land is allotted under the state’s own rules; the land revenue authorities handle title and conversion.
Open access
A commercial or industrial consumer with contract demand of 100 kW or more, through a single or aggregated connection, can buy green power through open access under the Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022. The distribution licensee and the state electricity regulatory commission grant and regulate the access.
Nuclear
Under the SHANTI Act 2025, setting up a nuclear facility, or producing, using or disposing of nuclear energy, requires a Central Government licence and AERB safety authorisation. Licences go to the government and to companies incorporated in India; FDI remains prohibited (see FDI rules).
Note: The brief states no standard timelines for any of these approvals. Build the project schedule around the tender calendar, land availability and the transmission build-out rather than a fixed approval period.
What to check next
- Confirm the PSA position of any tender before ordering equipment; a letter of award alone does not secure offtake.
- Ask CTUIL whether the project will hold firm or temporary GNA, and price the curtailment risk of temporary access.
- Check which ALMM list the tender requires and whether every module, cell and turbine component is listed and BIS-registered.
- Register with the state nodal agency early, since state incentives are claimed through in-principle clearance.
- For C&I supply, verify the consumer’s contract demand is at least 100 kW and confirm the state commission’s open-access charges.