CEIG Approval in Andhra Pradesh: Process for Factories, DG Sets and Solar

CEIG approval in Andhra Pradesh means the state Electrical Inspectorate inspects an installation and approves it in writing before supply is given or restored. Which installations need that inspection depends on a voltage and a generating capacity that the state government notifies, and below them the owner self-certifies. Confirm the current limits with the Inspectorate before you fix an energisation date.

Who decides what needs inspection in Andhra Pradesh?

The national rule is Regulation 45 of the Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2023. An installation at or below the "notified voltage" is inspected, tested and self-certified by its owner before supply, with the report sent to the Electrical Inspector in the Schedule II forms. An installation above the notified voltage, and generating units above the capacity named under Regulation 34, are inspected by the Electrical Inspector before supply commences. The Regulations leave both numbers to each state. You can read them in the gazette copy of the Regulations.

Andhra Pradesh has used this power before. DISCOM-hosted copies of 2016 government orders indicate that G.O.Ms.No. 21 (9 June 2016) introduced self-certification for installations up to 11 kV, that G.O.Ms.No. 36 (1 November 2016) amended it, and that G.O.Ms.No. 38 (20 December 2016) extended the exemption from mandatory Chief Electrical Inspector inspection to 33 kV. Those orders were issued under the 2010 safety regulations that the 2023 Regulations replaced. We could not retrieve the notification now in force under the 2023 Regulations, so do not assume the 2016 figures still apply. Ask the Inspectorate which voltage and capacity limits it applies today, and get the answer in writing.

How does the approval fit into a factory project?

For a factory, CEIG is not a single event. It sits at the end of a chain that starts with the power sanction. The table sets out the stages and what each needs.

What changes when a factory adds a DG set or solar?

A DG set and a solar plant are generating units, so Regulation 34's capacity threshold applies to each of them separately from the HT intake. A factory could therefore have an HT sub-station inspected by the Inspector, a DG set self-certified and a solar plant inspected, or any other combination, depending on the state's limits and the equipment ratings.

Solar brings its own safety content. Regulation 121 asks for roof pathways at least 75 cm wide with hand rails, cables in trenches for ground-mounted plants, 1.8 m fencing on ground-mounted sites, a manual disconnection switch outside the AC combiner box, surge and lightning protection, earth-fault protection and insulation monitoring, and fire detection and suppression meeting the relevant standards. If your roof layout leaves no room for those pathways, the Inspector will notice, so settle them with the structural drawings, not at inspection. The rules for interconnection and metering are the DISCOM's; our note on solar with DG sets explains the interface design, and the DG inspection checklist covers what is looked at on the set itself.

What should the application file contain?

The Inspectorate publishes its own checklist, and you should follow it over any list here. In our experience of preparing these files in other states, the following are the items that are most often missing or inconsistent.

• Single-line diagram showing every transformer, breaker, DG set and solar inverter with ratings and settings, matching the equipment actually installed.
• Sub-station and DG room layouts with clearances, ventilation, fire protection and escape routes.
• Earthing layout and earth-resistance records, with the lightning protection design where it applies.
• Insulation-resistance, high-voltage withstand, protection-relay and interlock test sheets, signed and dated.
• Manufacturers' test certificates for transformers, HT switchgear and cables.
• Licences and certificates of the contractor and supervisor.
• The DISCOM sanction and any feasibility letter.

Our guide to the MEP drawing set shows how the same drawings serve Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM filings, and the CEIG factory approval page sets out the northern-state process we follow day to day.

How do you keep the energisation date from slipping?

Three habits protect the date. First, ask the DISCOM and the Inspectorate which of them needs to act first, since the order differs between projects and one is sometimes a precondition for the other. Second, finish testing early enough to leave time for observations: an Inspector who finds an unsigned test sheet or an undocumented relay setting will send the file back, and the clock restarts. Third, treat every later addition, such as a second transformer or a solar expansion, as a fresh approval. Regulation 45(6) bars connecting an addition or alteration until it has been approved or self-certified.

The CEIG readiness calculator turns these points into a checklist score for your project, and the glossary entry defines the terms used above.

How Secured Engineers helps

Secured Engineers designs the electrical system in-house and files CEIG approval, Fire NOC and DISCOM net-metering applications in-house, so the drawings, test records and approvals come from one team. MEPF and solar can be contracted together. We work from offices in Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana, and have delivered 535+ projects across 18+ states, with 89.77% repeat clients. For Andhra Pradesh we mobilise from Noida and Ludhiana; this article is a buyer's guide and does not describe work in the state.

If you have a file ready or nearly ready, we can review it against the Regulations and flag what the Inspector is likely to ask for. See the CEIG approval consultancy page, then reach us on WhatsApp, by phone on +91 70099 85817, or ask for a free proposal to review your file.