CTUIL Revises Solar, Wind and BESS Project Benchmarks for GNA Compliance

CTUIL has revised benchmark project costs and land requirements for solar, wind and BESS projects under the CERC GNA Regulations, with BESS benchmarked at ₹0.80 crore/MWh.

The Central Transmission Utility of India Limited (CTUIL) is a government-owned company responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing India’s Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS). CTUIL plays a key role in facilitating the transmission connectivity required for large-scale power and renewable energy projects across the country.

CTUIL has now revised the benchmark project costs and land requirements for renewable energy projects, including solar, wind and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), for assessing compliance under the CERC Connectivity and General Network Access (GNA) Regulations, 2022.

The revised benchmarks follow a stakeholder consultation chaired by the Member (Planning), Central Electricity Authority (CEA), on August 21, 2026. CEA issued the minutes of the consultation on September 1.

Under the revised framework, CTUIL will consider a benchmark project cost of ₹3.5 crore/MW for solar projects, ₹6 crore/MW for wind projects, and ₹0.80 crore/MWh for BESS projects. The benchmark for Renewable Energy Parks remains unchanged at ₹0.5 crore/MW.

*Wind land must be suitable for WTG installation and spacing requirements.

BESS Gets Defined Cost and Land Benchmarks

The BESS benchmark is particularly relevant as India’s energy storage market expands alongside increasing renewable generation. CTUIL has specified a project cost benchmark of ₹0.80 crore/MWh and land requirement of 1.2 acres per 100 MWh.

On this basis, a 500 MWh BESS project would correspond to a benchmark project cost of ₹400 crore and land requirement of six acres

Wind Land Requirement Carries Additional Condition

While the benchmark for wind land remains 0.25 acres/MW, CTUIL has clarified that developers cannot rely simply on an equivalent contiguous parcel of land.

The identified land must be suitable for installing wind turbine generators, taking into account the distance required between WTGs. CTUIL has specifically stated that contiguous land calculated at 0.25 acre/MW will not be acceptable on its own.

Applicability Under Regulation 11A

The revised benchmarks will be used by CTUIL to assess Financial Closure and land compliance under Regulation 11A and other applicable eligibility requirements under the CERC GNA Regulations.

The revised benchmarks may be considered where CTUIL has not yet taken a decision on acceptance of Financial Closure compliance.

However, projects where Financial Closure has already been achieved, or where connectivity has already been revoked on this ground, will not be revisited based on the revised benchmarks.

The updated framework provides renewable energy developers with clearer benchmarks for project financing, land planning and transmission connectivity compliance as India continues to expand solar, wind and energy storage capacity.