India’s Power Regulator Warns Renewable Plants of Possible Disconnection Over Grid Safety Violations

India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has issued a strong warning to renewable energy developers after repeated violations of critical grid safety norms. The regulator directed grid operators to take stricter action against non-compliant solar and wind plants, including the possibility of disconnecting persistent offenders to safeguard national grid stability.

The concerns stem from recurring failures to comply with low-voltage and high-voltage ride-through (LVRT/HVRT) requirements. These technical standards ensure that renewable plants remain connected during sudden voltage fluctuations instead of tripping offline, which can worsen disturbances and cause frequency dips. The commission noted that recent fault events had already resulted in unnecessary generation losses due to such non-compliance.

According to a petition by the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre, several renewable generators have repeatedly ignored compliance demands despite multiple meetings and reminders. Only two projects - including an Adani hybrid plant - have fully met the mandated technical norms, while others have not even submitted mandatory self-audit reports required for verification.

To address growing risks as India rapidly expands its renewable capacity, CERC has instructed the Northern RLDC and the Central Transmission Utility of India to convene a high-level meeting and create a clear procedure for tackling persistent violators. This may include disconnection protocols, along with fresh compliance reviews and detailed reporting on grid events going forward.

CERC's willingness to disconnect renewable plants over grid-safety violations signals grid-code compliance is now a real operational risk, not just a documentation exercise. Our energy-transition and sustainability-due-diligence teams help renewable operators, IPPs and asset owners evaluate compliance exposure and its cascading effects on revenue certainty and lender expectations.