CESC Net Metering Kolkata: C&I Guide (2026)

Does CESC allow net metering for commercial and industrial consumers?

TL;DR: Yes. Under WBERC's Grid Interactive Rooftop Solar PV Systems for Prosumers Regulations, 2025 (Regulation 81), CESC consumers can install rooftop solar from 1 kW up to 500 kW (capped by your contract demand) on net metering, with net billing or gross metering available above that. Application is online at cesc.co.in — fee ₹1,000 + GST for LV/MV and ₹5,000 + GST for HV/EHV connections.

Kolkata's commercial rooftops — offices in Park Street and Salt Lake Sector V, hotels, warehouses in Howrah, factories in the onward industrial belt — pay some of eastern India's highest electricity tariffs, which makes rooftop solar unusually attractive here. But CESC is a private discom with its own procedure, distinct from WBSEDCL's, and applying through the wrong route wastes months. This guide covers the 2025 regulatory framework, CESC's tariffs, the step-by-step application, and where Kolkata projects get stuck. (State-wide context is in our West Bengal industrial solar guide.)

On this page

First check: is your site even CESC?

CESC Limited distributes power in a licensed area of about 567 sq km covering Kolkata, Howrah and adjoining areas (CESC About Us). Anything outside that footprint — most of the rest of West Bengal, including Salt Lake's outskirts, Rajarhat's newer belts in some patches, Dankuni, and the district industrial estates — falls to WBSEDCL, which runs a different procedure under the same WBERC regulations (covered in our WBSEDCL net metering guide).

Check your electricity bill: the distributor name is on the face of the bill. A Park Street office and a Howrah factory are both CESC; a Barasat warehouse is usually WBSEDCL. When in doubt, ask CESC with your consumer number before engaging an EPC.

WBERC Prosumer Regulations 2025: the framework

WBERC notified the Grid Interactive Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Prosumers Regulations, 2025 (Regulation 81/WBERC, gazetted 31 July 2025) — the framework every West Bengal discom, including CESC, now implements (WBERC regulations page; Regulation 81 PDF).

For CESC consumers, per CESC's published rooftop solar guidelines and connectivity procedure:

Two practical consequences:

1. Your contract demand caps you. A consumer with 250 kVA contract demand cannot net-meter a 500 kW plant — the ceiling is the lower of the two. Right-size the plant to the daytime load you actually serve (see our sizing methodology).
2. Below 500 kW you can choose. CESC's procedure lets eligible systems up to 500 kW pick between net metering, net billing and gross metering. Net metering is almost always the value-maximising choice for self-consumers because every solar unit avoids the full retail tariff, not just the fuel cost.

CESC tariffs: what solar displaces

CESC's published FY 2025-26 category average tariffs (from its wheeling & cross-subsidy computations) show the retail rates solar displaces:

Source: CESC Wheeling and Associated Charges 2025-26. These are category averages from regulatory filings, not the full LC/LM schedule — fixed and demand charges vary by voltage and contract, so verify the applicable schedule on CESC's tariff page before financial modelling. Note also that CESC applies a monthly FPPAS fuel surcharge (8.2% reported for July 2026) on top of base rates — a further nudge toward self-generation (FPPAS notice).

At ₹8+ per unit displaced, a Kolkata commercial rooftop generating 4–4.5 units per kW per day (eastern India sits slightly below the North India benchmark — see our units-per-kW guide) saves roughly ₹30–35 lakh per MW per year, with the usual 3.5–5 year payback for profitable buyers claiming accelerated depreciation (mechanics in our depreciation guide).

How to apply: step by step

CESC's published procedure (connectivity procedure PDF):

1. Register online at cesc.co.in using your consumer/customer number, mobile number and email.
2. Upload KYC documents: identity proof; for companies, partnerships, trusts and societies — PAN certificate plus incorporation/registration documents.
3. Enter system details: plant capacity, inverter make/rating, funding pattern, and the vendor/EPC agreement.
4. Submit and note the reference number — the portal lets you track feasibility, quotation and approval status online.
5. Feasibility approval: CESC reviews grid-connection feasibility (capacity vs contract demand, transformer headroom, voltage level).
6. Quotation and payments: after feasibility, CESC issues a quotation covering connectivity charges, meters and any service alteration; third-party testing/fitness certification is arranged separately.
7. Install, test, synchronise: your EPC installs; CESC inspects and synchronises the system with a bidirectional meter.
8. Accounting begins: solar contribution is adjusted in subsequent bills — starting from the next billing cycle (or the second-next if fewer than 15 days remain before the next bill).

Fees: application fee is ₹1,000 + GST for LV/MV supplies and ₹5,000 + GST for HV/EHV supplies. Connectivity quotes are site-specific, so budget for meter and service-alteration costs beyond the application fee.

Hard-copy submission is still accepted at CESC's Solar Cell, North Regional Office, 226A & B A.P.C. Road, Kolkata 700004 — but CESC then uploads the application online on your behalf, so the portal is where the file actually lives.

Above 500 kW: the net-billing route

Plants above 500 kW are not eligible for net metering under Regulation 81 — the routes are net billing or gross metering. In net billing, energy fed to the grid is settled at WBERC's published feed-in tariffs, fixed for the system's useful life:

The spread between an ₹8+ retail tariff and a ₹4.42–4.80 feed-in tariff is the whole argument: above 500 kW, design for maximum self-consumption first, and treat exports as a residual. If your load is bigger than any roof, off-site open-access or group-captive supply is the complement (our third-party vs group captive comparison covers the structures).

Kolkata rooftop realities

• Old buildings and structural capacity. Much of central Kolkata's commercial stock is decades old. A structural stability assessment before array design is non-negotiable — array loads add 17–25 kg/m², and older RCC slabs often need strengthening (see our structural assessment guide).
• Howrah's industrial sheds are frequently better candidates than the Kolkata side: PEB structures, large spans, daytime-heavy engineering loads.
• Shadowing from adjacent high-rises and water tanks cuts yield in dense areas — model it honestly; a shadowed 200 kW plant underperforms a clean 150 kW one.
• Heritage and precinct restrictions can constrain visible rooftop equipment in older precincts — check early.
• CEIG/inspection pathway: grid-connected plants go through discom inspection; our electrical inspector (CEIG) approval guide explains the safety-certification layer.

Before you apply

1. Confirm CESC is your distributor (bill, not city name).
2. Pull your contract demand and 12 months of bills — the net-metering ceiling is the lower of 500 kW and contract demand.
3. Commission the structural assessment before finalising plant size.
4. Choose net metering (not gross/net billing) for self-consumption sites, up to the 500 kW cap.
5. File online with complete KYC — company applications need PAN plus incorporation documents.
6. Budget the ₹1,000/₹5,000 application fee plus CESC's connectivity quotation for meters and alterations.
7. If sizing beyond 500 kW, model net-billing economics at ₹4.42–4.80/kWh exports, not retail rates.
8. Shortlist EPCs with West Bengal track record — our honest West Bengal solar companies listicle shows the field, including where Sun Wave fits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum capacity for net metering on CESC?

500 kW, or your contract demand/agreemental load if lower — whichever is less restrictive applies. Above 500 kW, only net billing or gross metering is available under WBERC Regulation 81 (2025). Source: CESC rooftop guidelines.

How much does CESC pay for surplus solar exported to the grid?

Under net metering, surplus is adjusted against your consumption in subsequent bills — there is no separate published cash-settlement rate for the net-metering route in CESC's current guide. Under net billing/gross metering, exports are paid the WBERC feed-in tariff: ₹4.80/kWh (LV/MV) down to ₹4.42/kWh (EHV), fixed for the system's useful life. On-site consumption is worth roughly double the export tariff, which is why self-consumption should dominate your design.

What documents does CESC require for a rooftop solar application?

Identity proof for individuals; for companies, partnership firms, trusts and societies — PAN plus certificate of incorporation or registration documents — along with plant and inverter details, the funding pattern, and the vendor agreement, all uploaded on the CESC portal with your consumer number.

How long does CESC net metering approval take?

CESC's published procedure does not commit a fixed statutory timeline, and we will not invent one: actual durations reported by installers vary from a few weeks to a couple of months depending on feasibility complexity and quotation settlement. Track your file via the portal reference number and escalate through CESC's Solar Cell if it stalls.

Does net metering work the same in Howrah as in Kolkata?

Yes — Howrah falls within CESC's licensed area, so the same Regulation 81 framework, fees and process apply. Sites in Howrah's outskirts or the districts move to WBSEDCL's procedure instead (see our WBSEDCL guide).

Is rooftop solar worth it for a Kolkata office building?

Generally yes: commercial tariffs of ₹8+/kWh (plus FPPAS), daytime-heavy office loads (HVAC, lighting, IT), and a 25-year asset create 3.5–5 year paybacks for profitable owners using accelerated depreciation. The two Kolkata-specific checks are structural capacity of older buildings and shadow modelling in dense precincts — both covered in our commercial buildings solar guide.