Pune's auto manufacturing belt pays some of India's highest industrial tariffs. Here is how open access solar and Group Captive structures cut energy cost by ₹1.50–₹3.00/unit in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Chakan, and Hadapsar.
Pune's industrial energy costs are among the highest in India for large consumers. MSEDCL HT tariffs for industrial consumers in the Pune circle run ₹8.50–₹10.00/unit in peak hours. For a Pimpri-Chinchwad auto components plant running two shifts with a connected load of 2 MW, annual electricity spend reaches ₹12–₹16 crore. A well-structured solar PPA brings that down by ₹2–₹3.50/unit — delivering ₹2.5–₹7 crore of annual savings with no capital expenditure.
MERC (Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission) sets the open access threshold at 1 MW of contracted demand for intra-state open access. Most large auto, engineering, and food processing units in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Chakan, Talegaon, and Hadapsar exceed this threshold. Key eligibility conditions:
Maharashtra's Cross-Subsidy Surcharge is one of the highest in India — typically ₹2.00–₹2.80/unit for large industrial HT consumers under MSEDCL. This materially erodes the financial benefit of open access. A solar tariff of ₹3.80/unit plus ₹2.50/unit CSS plus wheeling and other charges results in a landed cost that is only ₹1.50–₹2.00/unit below the MSEDCL tariff — still a significant saving, but a narrower margin than Gujarat or Karnataka.
This is why Group Captive has become the preferred structure for Pune's larger industrial consumers. Under Group Captive, CSS is fully exempt — improving the typical saving to ₹3.00–₹4.00/unit and dramatically changing the project economics. See our Group Captive vs Open Access guide for a worked example with Maharashtra CSS numbers.
| Area | Key industries | Best solar structure | Typical saving/unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pimpri-Chinchwad (PCMC) | Auto, engineering | Group Captive (CSS exemption) | ₹2.80–₹4.00 |
| Chakan | Auto (Bajaj, VW, Mahindra) | Group Captive or ISTS OA | ₹2.50–₹3.50 |
| Hadapsar | IT, ITES, light manufacturing | Open Access (loads ≥ 1 MW) | ₹1.50–₹2.50 |
| Talegaon | Auto ancillary, pharma | Group Captive preferred | ₹2.80–₹4.00 |
| Ranjangaon MIDC | Auto, tyres, chemicals | Group Captive or rooftop + OA | ₹2.50–₹3.50 |
Most large Pune industrial units use a hybrid approach: rooftop solar (where available) covers 15–30% of daytime load at ₹2.80–₹3.50/unit all-in, while open access or Group Captive covers the balance. MSEDCL allows net metering up to 1 MW for rooftop; above that, a dedicated metering arrangement is needed. Rooftop and open access can coexist on the same connection, but the metering and billing treatment must be agreed upfront with MSEDCL.
Wattency currently has active C&I PPA projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Karnataka that can supply inter-state open access power to eligible Maharashtra consumers. ISTS (inter-state) open access eliminates the intra-state CSS for renewable energy under the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's green energy open access rules — an important route for large Pune consumers above 1 MW who want to fully bypass Maharashtra's high CSS.