Gujarat Drops Connectivity Agreement for PM Surya Ghar

The signature that was holding the queue

Four state DISCOMs told GERC that the connectivity agreement was a bottleneck on PM Surya Ghar. MNRE had written on 31 December 2024 asking states to simplify net-metering paperwork.

Short answer: GERC agreed, for PM Surya Ghar plants only. From early November 2025 you are deemed bound by the net-metering regulations without a separate written connectivity agreement. DISCOM must still put the commissioning date and surplus rate in writing. CFA did not get easier in any other way. Read this next to the GERC homeowner summary and the documents checklist.

UVR Green Energies files solar in Vadodara, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Halol, Panchmahal, Dahod, Indore, Greater Noida and nationally under this amendment — it is statewide in Gujarat.

Notification 10 of 2025 in plain language

The Commission published the Fifth Amendment to the GERC Net Metering Regulations, 2016. The RE-regulations index lists it as Notification 10 of 2025 (3 November 2025). The Statement of Reasons is dated 4 November 2025.

Petition 2475 of 2025 from the four state DISCOMs, citing MNRE’s 31 December 2024 letter, is the origin story in the SoR. Homeowners were not the petitioners; the licensees asked to drop a step that duplicated regulation already binding on consumers.

Statement of Reasons language, inserting a proviso under Regulation 7 after the Fourth Amendment activity chart:

Provided that there shall not be requirement for execution of separate written connectivity agreement between the Distribution Licensee and the Consumer in case of Solar Rooftop PV Systems installed under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and the Consumer shall be deemed to be bound by terms and conditions of these Regulations in respect of Solar Rooftop PV Systems. In such case, the date of commencement of Agreement shall be the date of commissioning of Solar Rooftop PV Systems and in lieu of execution of formal connectivity agreement, the concerned Discom shall communicate to the Applicant, under proper receipt, mentioning the date of commencement of agreement along with the applicable rate of purchase of surplus energy.

That is the whole trick. Toggle the before/after on this page.

Deemed bound: what you still owe the regulations

“Deemed bound” means you do not get a bespoke contract — you get the GERC Net Metering Regulations, 2016 as amended, including:

• Billing-cycle set-off of generated units
• Surplus purchase rate communicated in writing
• Metering arrangement the DISCOM installs
• Safety and commissioning tests MNRE lists for CFA
• Fourth Amendment strengthening economics above 6 kW aggregate — see system strengthening charges

The 22 October 2026 GR preamble (GoG, MGVCL host — see sources) records the earlier ₹2,950 meter-and-connectivity waiver for new rooftop up to 6 kW, including GHS/RWA common facilities. That is stationery economics, not permission to skip inspection.

What did not get deleted

• DISCOM physical inspection for CFA (MNRE guidelines)
• DCR modules and 16-digit certificate uploads
• National portal vendor agreement and geo-tags
• Billing-cycle set-off and surplus economics
• Fourth Amendment 6 kW strengthening line
• 22 Oct 2026 state DBT rules for qualifying homes at or under 2.18 kWp DC per the same GR (MGVCL host in sources)

Fifth Amendment also aligned connectivity voltage levels with the Electricity Supply Code rather than reprinting the old 6 kW / 18.65 kW table inside net-metering. That is electrical-code housekeeping, not a homeowner subsidy change.

Central CFA amounts are unchanged: ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW, ₹18,000 on the third, cap ₹78,000 at 3 kW — table in the pillar. Housing societies still use ₹18,000 per eligible kW on common facilities — housing society solar subsidy.

The paper that replaced the signature

Instead of stamp-paper interconnection, DISCOM must give proper receipt communication with:

1. Date of commencement of agreement (= commissioning date)
2. Applicable rate of purchase of surplus energy

For many self-owned residential homes, earlier GERC notifications and SURYA Gujarat agreement text used ₹2.25 per unit for surplus in the first five years. The Fifth Amendment does not invent a new number — it tells DISCOM to communicate the applicable rate. If your letter prints ₹2.25, photograph it and file it next to your net meter photo.

If the letter prints something else, that written figure governs your billing dispute — not a WhatsApp forward from 2023.

If the DISCOM still wants stamp paper

MGVCL’s LT PDF still lists “Interconnection Agreement Draft on 300 Rs stamp”. That PDF predates or ignores the Fifth Amendment in its heading. Ask, in writing, which regulation applies after Notification 10 of 2025.

Torrent Power, DGVCL, UGVCL and PGVCL may lag too. Solar in Surat and solar in Vadodara should get the same gazette benefit inside PM Surya Ghar.

Practical steps:

1. Bring a printout of the SoR proviso to the circle office.
2. Ask for the commissioning + surplus rate letter instead of stamp paper.
3. If they insist on stamp paper, ask for a written citation of the regulation they apply.
4. WhatsApp that demand note to UVR — we read it with the gazette; we do not instruct you to refuse a lawful licensee request.

Stationery lag is common after GERC amendments. The documents checklist still lists MGVCL’s older line so you know why a clerk may mention it.

CFA clock did not shrink

After inspection, CFA follows MNRE’s post-approval process. The PIB release cited in our pillar sources describes processing within 15 days of DISCOM approval. Removing connectivity signature saves days only if that signature was the actual bottleneck on your file.

Many delays remain:

• Feasibility queue
• DCR serial mismatch
• Bank name mismatch
• Missing geo-tags

None of those are cured by Notification 10 of 2025 alone.

Vendor agreement vs connectivity: do not merge the words

Circle staff and vendors both say “agreement”. After November 2025 they mean different files:

When application status shows “agreement pending”, ask which row in the table is stuck. Uploading the vendor PDF does not satisfy an old connectivity template — and skipping the vendor PDF while chasing stamp paper leaves CFA blocked.

Industrial or third-party-owned rooftops outside PM Surya Ghar may still need the older written agreement path. The Fifth Amendment proviso names the scheme explicitly. If your quotation never mentions pmsuryaghar.gov.in registration, assume you are outside this simplification until a lawyer reads your file.

For flat owners inside a society, the simplification applies to the residential PM Surya Ghar meter, not automatically to a separate common-facility plant. Societies still carry committee resolutions and GHS paperwork — see housing society solar subsidy alongside this amendment.

Store the commissioning letter with your net meter photo in the same folder as the portal PDFs. Next year’s bill dispute is won with that paper, not with a verbal promise from the site engineer.

Who this helps on the ground

• Homeowners skipping a second notary trip for connectivity only
• DISCOMs aligning activity charts with MNRE’s December 2024 simplification ask
• Vendors explaining why the vendor agreement on the portal still exists
• Societies separating GHS CFA (₹18,000/kW common facilities) from residential bungalows

Hinglish: net metering agreement Gujarat for a PM Surya Ghar bungalow now means that written communication, not a second stamp-paper ritual. PM Surya Ghar paperwork simplified is true only for this loop.

Next step

If a circle office is holding commissioning for a signature the gazette dropped, WhatsApp the demand note to +91 95375 66799 and book a free site survey if you are still sizing the plant. Contact. CFA: pillar.