The Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC) has issued the draft Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (State Grid Code) Regulations, 2026, which set out guidelines for the planning, operation, scheduling, and protection of the state power grid.

Stakeholders can submit their feedback until June 29, 2026.

The draft regulations will apply to the State Transmission Utility (STU), users of the intrastate transmission system, and the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) in Meghalaya.

Grid Code Management

The STU and SLDC will be responsible for implementing the State Grid Code.

The STU must establish a State Grid Code Review Committee within 30 days of the notification of the regulations. The committee will review the code’s implementation, consider amendment requests, resolve user-raised issues, and ensure that proposed changes are compatible with the Indian Electricity Grid Code.

The review committee must meet at least once every six months. It will also constitute a Protection Coordination Committee comprising engineers from STU, generating companies, and distribution licensees with experience in power transmission system protection.

Resource Planning

Demand forecasting, generation resource adequacy, power procurement planning, monitoring, and compliance will be governed by the MSERC Framework for Resource Adequacy Regulations, 2023.

The STU must assess and plan the intra-state transmission system based on demand forecasts and generation resource adequacy. The assessment must consider import and export capability across the inter-state transmission system and STU interface, and adequate transfer capability across each flow gate.

Connectivity

The STU will grant connectivity to the intrastate transmission system.

Users seeking a new or modified connection to the intrastate transmission system must submit applications in the standard. After completing physical connectivity arrangements and site tests, the user must request SLDC permission for first energization.

SLDC, in coordination with STU and the State Grid Code Review Committee, must publish a detailed procedure for first-time energization and integration of new or modified power system elements within 60 days of notification of the regulations. The procedure must be submitted to the Commission for approval.

Users seeking connectivity must sign a connection agreement with the STU. Existing users must also renew their agreements under the new agreement format.

Renewable energy generating stations may be connected at the distribution level up to 33 kV or at the transmission level above 33 kV.

Commissioning and Operation

The draft regulations specify procedures for drawal of start-up power, injection of infirm power, trial runs, submission of documents, and declaration of commercial operation date.

A generating station or captive generating plant granted connectivity to the intra-state transmission system may interchange power with the grid during commissioning, testing, and full-load testing before commercial operations, after obtaining prior SLDC permission.

Drawal of start-up power must not exceed 15 months before the expected date of first synchronization and one year after first synchronization. Injection of infirm power must not exceed one year from the first synchronization for generating stations other than renewable energy generating stations and energy storage systems, excluding hydro-pumped storage energy storage systems.

For renewable energy generating stations and energy storage systems, excluding hydro pumped storage energy storage systems, injection of infirm power must not exceed 45 days from the date of first-time charging approval.

Solar inverter units connected to the state transmission system must undergo trial runs with a minimum capacity of 5 MW. For projects above 5 MW, the balance capacity must be tested in a maximum of 4 installments, with each installment having a minimum capacity of 5 MW.

Wind turbine trial runs must also be conducted for a minimum capacity of 5 MW.

A standalone energy storage system must complete one cycle of charging and discharging as per design capabilities, with metering, telemetry, and protection systems in service.

System Operation

SLDC must develop and maintain detailed internal operating procedures for managing the state grid in consultation with STU, the State Grid Code Review Committee, and stakeholders.

Control rooms of SLDC, generating stations, 132 kV and above transmission substations, and other relevant control centers must be manned round-the-clock by qualified personnel. Remote operation will be allowed if it does not delay the execution of switching instructions or the flow of information.

No important grid element can be deliberately opened or removed from service without SLDC’s instructions, except in emergencies

The grid frequency must remain within the band of 49.90 Hz to 50.05 Hz. SLDC and STU must make every effort to maintain the frequency within this band.

Renewable Energy

The system operator must make every effort to evacuate available solar, wind, mini-hydel, and hybrid wind-solar-mini-hydro generation and treat them as must-run stations.

However, SLDC may direct renewable energy generators to back down on generation if grid security or the safety of equipment or personnel is likely to be endangered.

Frequency and Voltage

The rated system frequency will be 50 Hz. SLDC must ensure that frequency remains within the allowable band of 49.90 Hz to 50.05 Hz and restore it at the earliest if it moves outside this band.

The draft provides for primary, secondary, and tertiary reserves for frequency control, to reduce area control error and relieve congestion. It also provides for black-start reserves and voltage-control reserves.

Generating stations and units must provide Primary Reserve Ancillary Service through governors or frequency controllers.

Secondary reserve providers must start responding to signals within 30 seconds and provide the entire secondary reserve capacity obligation within 15 minutes. Tertiary reserve providers must provide service within 15 minutes of despatch instructions and sustain it for at least 60 minutes.

Scheduling and Despatch

Scheduling will be carried out in 15-minute time blocks. Each day will be divided into 96 time blocks.

The Scheduling and Despatch Code will apply to sellers, generators, captive generators, open access generators, and renewable generators other than wind-solar sellers connected to the intra-state transmission system with installed capacity of 5 MW and above, or any other threshold specified by the Commission.

It will also apply to buyers, including distribution licensees, deemed distribution licensees, and open access consumers connected to the intra-state transmission system.

SLDC will be responsible for demand forecasting, renewable generation forecasting, scheduling and despatch, reserve management, balancing demand and supply, and declaring total transfer capability and available transfer capability.

Wind, solar, hybrid renewable projects, and energy storage systems connected to one or more intra-state substations may appoint a qualified coordinating agency to coordinate scheduling and deviation settlement with SLDC.

Metering

The STU will be responsible for procuring and installing interface energy meters at all interface points and other identified points at the cost of the respective entity.

The meters must record actual active and reactive energy interchanged in each time block.

SLDC will compute time-block-wise actual net injection and drawal for state entities based on interface energy meter readings

Protection Code

The draft regulations provide for a uniform protection protocol for users of the state grid. The protocol will cover coordination of protection systems, a repository of settings and events, timelines for data submission, the health of recording equipment, and periodic protection audits.

The Protection Coordination Committee must prepare a Protection Manual within 90 days of notification of the regulations, in consultation with stakeholders. The manual will cover protection aspects for grid elements connected at 400 kV, 220 kV, 132 kV, and below.

All users must conduct internal audits of their protection systems and share audit reports with the Protection Coordination Committee and SLDC. Users must also conduct third-party protection audits of each 132 kV and above substation once every five years, or earlier if advised by the North Eastern Regional Power Committee or the Protection Coordination Committee.

Monitoring and Compliance

SLDC will monitor compliance with the State Grid Code and report violations. Users must submit required data, comply with SLDC directions, and maintain systems necessary for secure grid operation.

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