Rajasthan Open Access Solar Charges FY 2026-27: Wheeling, CSS and Surcharge

Direct answer: For FY 2026-27, the Rajasthan DISCOM tariff order dated 30 March 2026 reports voltage-linked wheeling charges of ₹1.93/kWh at LT, ₹0.69/kWh at 11 kV, ₹0.09/kWh at 33 kV and ₹0.01/kWh at 132 kV and above. The reported cross-subsidy surcharge is ₹1.48/kWh and additional surcharge is ₹0.50/kWh. These figures are inputs, not a complete landed solar rate. Confirm the exact schedule, consumer category, voltage, transaction type and later orders before using them in a proposal.

Key Takeaways

• The relevant RERC DISCOM order is dated 30 March 2026 and covers FY 2026-27.
• Wheeling falls sharply with connection voltage; applying an average figure can materially misstate savings.
• Third-party supply may attract CSS and additional surcharge, while a qualifying captive transaction has different statutory treatment.
• Transmission, SLDC, losses, banking, deviation, duty and retained demand charges can remain outside the headline numbers.
• The order concerns Rajasthan DISCOMs, but applicability must still be checked against the consumer’s licensee, category and connection.
• Always retrieve the signed order and verify the operative schedule; a table copied into a commercial quote is not regulatory approval.

What charges did the 30 March 2026 order report?

The following table is a planning summary of the reported values identified in the FY 2026-27 tariff order. It is deliberately not presented as a universal invoice schedule.

The figures should be checked in the RERC order repository under the entry “True up 2024-25, ARR, Tariff and Investment Plan 2026-27 of Discoms.” If a corrigendum, review order or later surcharge order exists, the later operative instrument may change the calculation.

How is the landed cost of open access solar calculated?

A defensible comparison adds charges and physical losses to the energy price, then compares the result with the avoidable retail bill.

A simple framework is:

Landed cost = adjusted generation price + transmission + wheeling + SLDC/scheduling + CSS + additional surcharge + banking/deviation costs + duty/tax + transaction costs.

If the generator quotes an ex-bus price, gross it up for transmission and distribution losses. Do not merely add loss percentages to the tariff; calculate how many units must be injected to deliver one unit at the consumer meter. Then model settlement by time block or billing cycle. Solar output that is curtailed, spilled or unavailable when the plant consumes power has lower value than a perfectly matched unit.

The open access solar guide explains the wider charge stack, while the solar savings calculator methodology helps organize baseline assumptions.

What does a voltage-wise example look like?

Assume only for illustration that an ex-bus solar price is ₹3.20/kWh. The table below adds the reported wheeling, CSS and additional surcharge without adding transmission, losses, banking, SLDC, duty or taxes. It therefore shows a subtotal, not landed cost.

This example demonstrates why voltage matters, not what any named consumer will pay. It also assumes CSS and additional surcharge both apply. A valid captive case, a different category or a later order would require a different row. Never present the subtotal as guaranteed.

Do captive solar users pay CSS and additional surcharge?

Section 42 of the Electricity Act provides that cross-subsidy surcharge is not leviable when open access carries electricity from a captive generating plant to its own use. Additional surcharge treatment also requires careful statutory and order-specific review; do not infer every exemption from a sales pitch.

Captive status must be real and maintained. For group captive projects, ownership and annual consumption tests under the Electricity Rules are central. If the project fails those tests, authorities can reassess surcharge exposure. Equity documents, user allocation, consumption forecasting, governance and annual evidence should therefore be part of cost diligence.

Rajasthan’s green open access rules also contain specific provisions for captive renewable capacity and banking. These are separate from the tariff-order charge table. Read our group captive solar guide before treating an “exempt” quote as bankable.

Which other costs are commonly missed?

Transmission charges and losses are frequent omissions; a 33 kV consumer with low wheeling may still use upstream transmission. SLDC fees, applications, scheduling, metering and communications also matter.

Banking is not free storage. Applicable rules may restrict who can bank, how much can be carried forward, when withdrawal is permitted and what percentage is deducted in kind. Deviation settlement can penalize schedule differences. Curtailment and change-in-law allocation belong in the PPA model.

Retail demand or fixed charges may remain payable to the DISCOM. Open access often displaces only part of monthly energy. The correct benchmark is the marginal avoidable retail cost, not total bill divided by units. Electricity duty and tax treatment should be checked for the actual source and route.

For model selection, compare CAPEX, OPEX and open access solar rather than assuming open access is always cheapest.

How should a Rajasthan buyer verify the exact schedule?

Download the signed tariff order from RERC’s current tariff-order page and save a dated copy. Search the order for “wheeling charge,” “cross subsidy surcharge,” “additional surcharge,” the consumer’s voltage and its retail category. Read table footnotes and the applicability section, not only the numerical row.

Next, search RERC’s orders and regulations pages for amendments, review petitions, corrigenda and standalone surcharge orders issued after 30 March 2026. Ask the relevant DISCOM or nodal agency for a written computation tied to the connection number. Confirm whether the transaction is intrastate or interstate and which network segments are used.

Finally, reconcile the regulatory inputs with the term sheet. State whether each quote is at the generator bus, state periphery or consumer meter. Identify who bears losses, scheduling fees, banking deductions and future charge changes. A quote without a defined delivery point cannot be compared reliably.

How should finance teams stress-test savings?

Build monthly cases for expected, downside and severe outcomes. Change generation, plant load, loss factors, surcharge escalation, curtailment and commissioning date. Include a case where captive qualification fails or banking is unavailable. Compare savings after retained fixed charges and taxes.

Track both ₹/kWh and annual rupees. A low rate may hide minimum offtake or equity funding. Cash flow should include deposits, approvals, meter upgrades and working capital. The solar IRR calculation guide provides a consistent evaluation structure.

FAQ

What is Rajasthan’s FY 2026-27 wheeling charge at 11 kV?

The reported value is ₹0.69/kWh in the 30 March 2026 DISCOM tariff order. Verify the signed schedule and the consumer’s actual connection before applying it.

Is the ₹1.48/kWh CSS charged to every open access consumer?

No. Applicability depends on transaction structure, consumer category and exemptions. A qualifying captive user is not treated the same as a third-party purchaser.

Is additional surcharge definitely ₹0.50/kWh all year?

Treat ₹0.50/kWh as the reported FY 2026-27 order value, subject to exact applicability and any later RERC order, review or modification.

Why is LT wheeling much higher than 33 kV wheeling?

Lower-voltage delivery uses more of the distribution network and is associated with different costs and losses. The approved schedule controls.

Are transmission charges included in wheeling?

Do not assume so. Transmission and wheeling compensate different network functions. Map the delivery path and add each applicable charge separately.

Can a solar supplier guarantee the landed open access rate?

Only if the contract precisely allocates regulated charges and change-in-law risk. Regulatory rates, losses and actual settlement can change the consumer’s outcome.

What date scope should a proposal show?

State “FY 2026-27; based on RERC order dated 30 March 2026; verified on 11 July 2026,” then list later documents checked.

Sources

• RERC tariff orders
• RERC alternate tariff-order index
• RERC regulations
• Electricity Act, 2003 on India Code