Home › Approvals
Every approval & clearance for Indian power projects
Plain-language guides to all 32 statutory and regulatory approvals for Indian power, solar, wind, BESS and transmission projects — documents, timelines, authorities and process.
R1 · Pre-development approvals
ISTS connectivity & GNA (General Network Access)
Your application to CTUIL for the right to inject power into the national interstate grid — the first gate for any large CTU-connected…
~90 days · CTUIL (Central Transmission Utility)
STU connectivity & evacuation approval
For projects connecting within one state's grid — connectivity approval from the state transmission utility, with different forms, charges…
~75 days · State transmission utility
Discom feasibility approval & registration
The discom checks whether your roof capacity fits your sanctioned load and local network before anything is installed — one portal…
~15 days · Discom (distribution utility)
Net-metering / interconnection agreement
The agreement letting you export solar power to the grid and offset your bill — capacity caps and tariffs differ sharply by state.
~30 days · Discom (distribution utility)
Section 68 prior approval (overhead lines)
Government permission you must hold before installing any higher-voltage overhead line — secure it before even 1% of line work starts.
~60 days · Ministry of Power (via NSWS)
Captive status structuring & annual verification
To escape cross-subsidy and additional surcharges, captive users must hold ≥26% equity and consume ≥51% of generation annually — verified…
~30 days · State nodal / NLDC
State nodal agency registration & single window
Registering your project with the state's renewable-energy nodal agency and single-window portal — the entry ticket for state approvals,…
~21 days · State RE nodal agency
Green energy open access & banking approvals
The approvals to wheel green power to a consumer over the grid — GEOA registration, SLDC/discom concurrence and the state's banking…
~45 days · State nodal (SLDC/STU) / GOAR
R2 · Land & environment
Land title, lease & government land allotment
Securing clear legal rights over the project land — purchase/lease of private land or allotment of government revenue land — before any…
~60 days · Revenue Department / District Collector
Land-use / NA (non-agricultural) conversion
Converting agricultural land for project use — several launch states now exempt solar entirely, others have a fast-track — check your…
~45 days · Revenue Department / District Collector
Forest clearance (forest-land diversion)
Central approval before any forest land is used for your plant, substation or corridor — two stages with afforestation costs; the longest…
~240 days · Forest Department / MoEFCC (PARIVESH)
Forest & wildlife clearance — line route
The same forest-diversion process, scoped to the transmission-line corridor — RoW width is capped by voltage and felling is minimised…
~240 days · Forest Department / MoEFCC (PARIVESH)
Wildlife / NBWL clearance
Extra clearance if your site or route is inside a protected area, a notified eco-sensitive zone, or within 10 km of a national park or…
~270 days · NBWL / MoEFCC
Water drawal NOC (construction & module cleaning)
Permission to draw groundwater (CGWA, via Bhu-Neer portal) or canal water (state irrigation department) for construction and module washing.
~75 days · CGWA / State irrigation department
Tree-cutting permission (non-forest land)
Permission from the Tree Officer/Authority before felling trees on private or revenue land along the route — separate from forest clearance.
~45 days · Tree Officer / Forest & Revenue
R3 · Route & construction authorizations
Section 164 authorization (telegraph-authority powers)
A government order giving your project legal power to place towers and lines on private land without each owner's consent (with…
~150 days · Ministry of Power (via NSWS)
PTCC clearance (power–telecom coordination)
Confirms your power line won't interfere with nearby telecom infrastructure — required before stringing conductors. NOTE: scrapped by MoP…
~90 days · PTCC nodal (DoT/BSNL + CEA)
Right of Way (RoW) compensation process
The rulebook for compensating landowners for towers and the line corridor on land you don't buy — budget for it and run it in step with…
~90 days · District Magistrate / Collector
National Highway crossing permission
Permission to cross a National Highway with your line — applied end-to-end online on Rajmarg Pravesh 2.0, with a built-in 30-day public…
~75 days · NHAI / MoRTH (Rajmarg Pravesh)
State Highway / road crossing permission
The same concept for State Highways and district roads — state-specific, mostly offline to the PWD Executive Engineer with IRC:32 drawings.
~45 days · State PWD
Railway crossing approval
Written railway approval before your line crosses tracks — multi-branch scrutiny, a standard agreement, deposits and a power block for…
~180 days · Indian Railways (zonal)
Water body / canal / river crossing NOC
NOC from the state Irrigation/Water Resources department for towers or spans crossing canals, drains, embankments or rivers — you bear the…
~60 days · Irrigation / Water Resources Department
Existing transmission-line crossing approval
Before your new line crosses an existing power line, the owner of that line must approve your crossing design — and give you a shutdown…
~60 days · Owner utility (POWERGRID / TSP / STU)
Aviation height NOC (AAI via NOCAS)
Height clearance for towers or structures near airports — required in notified areas (~20 km around aerodromes), granted online via the…
~45 days · Airports Authority of India (NOCAS)
Defence NOC (MoD)
Clearance when your site or route is near a defence airfield or establishment — two different tracks, and the least predictable timeline…
~75 days · Ministry of Defence / Local Military Authority
R4 · Electrical safety (build stage)
Pollution consent / SPCB intimation (CTE/CTO)
Pollution-board consents before construction and operation — but solar PV is White category and statutorily EXEMPT from both since…
~45 days · State Pollution Control Board
Fire NOC (substations, control rooms, BESS)
Provisional NOC at plan stage plus final NOC after inspection from State Fire Services — mandatory above height/occupancy thresholds and…
~30 days · State Fire Services
Structural stability certificate (rooftop)
A chartered/structural engineer certifies your roof can carry the panel array and wind loads — quick, but discoms won't process…
~7 days · Chartered structural engineer
CEIG approvals — drawings, inspection & charging (3-touch)
Safety sign-off on your electrical installation in three touches: drawings approved before you build, physical inspection after you build,…
~45 days · State CEIG (Chief Electrical Inspector)
R5 · Pre-commissioning
BESS safety compliance (CEA Chapter XA)
The new national safety regime for battery storage above 650 V — design, fire suppression and a third-party fire audit — notified…
~60 days · CEA / Electrical Inspector
Meter testing & commissioning (discom)
The discom lab tests your bi-directional/smart meter, installs it, and issues the commissioning certificate — the last routine step before…
~21 days · Discom (distribution utility)
R6 · Commissioning & operations
Map my project's full approval roadmap →Should my business switch to green power?