In brief. The main question about connecting a solar plant is not "how do I obtain technical conditions", but whether you need them at all. Everything depends on the answer: the volume of documents, the timeline and the money. A plant built for self-consumption that fits within the already permitted capacity of your site is connected without the connection service — that is the short procedure. A plant that exceeds the permitted capacity, or that exports more to the grid than the set limit, goes through technical conditions and a connection agreement — that is the long, paid route. Below are both scenarios step by step, with statutory terms.

Step 0. Determine your scenario — this is the key decision

Scenario A — a generating unit inside your own networks (the most common one for business). You install a solar plant for self-consumption within the already permitted (contracted) capacity of your site. The Distribution Systems Code states directly: the connection of a generating unit by a consumer or an active consumer inside their own electrical networks is carried out without obtaining the connection service. That means no technical conditions, no connection agreement and no connection fee here.

Scenario B — the connection service. Required if you: - increase the permitted (contracted) capacity of the site; or - connect the generation separately (a separate connection point, a power evacuation line); or - want to export more to the grid than the permitted export limit (see the section on the 50% limit) — this counts as a change of technical parameters.

A mistake at this step is expensive both ways: either you order a heavy, paid procedure where it is not needed, or you install a plant that later fails the operator's inspection.

> Important about "standard connection". In law this is a strict term: capacity no more than 50 kW and a distance no more than 300 m in a straight line to the operator's existing networks. A plant of up to 50 kW located closer than 300 m to the operator's networks may go through exactly as a standard connection. Plants of a higher capacity are either scenario A (without the connection service) or a non-standard connection.

Scenario A. Connecting a plant inside your own networks — the short procedure

What has to be done:

1. Meet the technical requirements for the equipment. The key one: the inverter must automatically disconnect the plant from the grid if voltage in the grid suddenly disappears and must not feed voltage into a de-energised line (anti-islanding protection). Inverter settings must stay within state standards; the relevant national standards are ДСТУ EN 50549-1:2022 / -2:2022 (Ukrainian national standards). The specific settings are defined by the operator. Provision is also made for sealing points on the protection and automation equipment.

2. File with the distribution system operator (DSO) an application for the installation of a generating unit (standard form — an annex to the Distribution Systems Code) together with a single-line diagram.

3. Pass the inspection. Within 5 working days of the application being registered, the operator carries out an inspection, seals the protection and automation equipment, and draws up: - the distribution point passport, - the technical inspection certificate, - the sealing certificate.

If the application is incomplete, the operator returns it with comments (within 10 working days).

That is the entire "permitting" route for a plant built for self-consumption within the permitted capacity. After that — if you plan to export surpluses — the active consumer status is arranged (see the section below).

Scenario B. The connection service: from application to energisation

1. Connection application

Filed with the operator on a standard form. The package includes a document confirming ownership or the right of use of the site, graphic materials showing the location of the site and the projected connection point, and other documents on the list set by the Code. Specifically for solar plants: a document confirming the right to use the roof, the façade or the land plot, with coordinates and graphic materials.

2. Technical conditions (TU)

The operator issues the TU within a statutory term: - 10 working days — as a general rule; - 20 working days — if approval is required from the transmission system operator or other business entities (for generation this happens often).

The TU are an integral annex to the connection agreement. There is no rule in the Code that "TU are valid for N years": technical conditions remain valid until construction is completed under the agreement, but the combined validity of the TU and the connection agreement may not exceed six years from the date the agreement is concluded.

3. The connection agreement and the fee

The agreement is a public one, on a standard form. A non-standard connection comes in two forms: "turnkey" (the operator designs and builds the line part) or with the customer designing the line part.

The connection fee consists of a capacity component (rate × requested capacity) and a component for the line part. The rates are approved by NEURC annually and differ for every operator, voltage class and "urban/rural" location. That is why no single figure of "this is what a connection costs" exists — the current fee is calculated using the rates in force for your particular site (NEURC provides a public calculator).

4. Design documentation

For a standard connection and for a non-standard "turnkey" connection, the design documentation for the external power supply is developed by the operator.
For a connection with the customer designing the line part, the customer designs it and agrees it with the operator. The operator's review of the documentation takes 15 working days (up to 30 if additional approvals are required); the approval is free of charge.
The design of the plant itself and of the internal networks is always on the customer's side.

5. Statutory terms for providing the connection service

For a non-standard "turnkey" connection, the term is counted from the day following payment of the first advance instalment:

Connection capacity	Statutory term
up to and including 160 kW	120 calendar days
over 160 up to 400 kW	230 calendar days
over 400 up to 1000 kW	280 calendar days
over 1000 up to 5000 kW	350 calendar days
over 5000 kW	no statutory term — as per the design documentation

For delays on the operator's side, the Code provides for a reduction of the connection fee, and for delays exceeding 120 days — a refund of the prepayment.

What is not in the regulations: terms for designing the plant, installation and commissioning. That is why any overall "turnkey" schedule is an estimate for a specific site, not a statutory term. We give such an estimate together with the calculation and show what it is made of.

6. Connection and energisation

Once the parties have fulfilled their obligations, the operator connects the electrical installation — within 5 working days (up to 10 if other consumers have to be disconnected). Energisation for testing follows the same terms.

The export limit: the 50% rule

For a non-household active consumer a restriction applies: the capacity permitted for export to the grid may not exceed 50% of the permitted (contracted) capacity of their electrical installations intended for consumption. The exception is household and small non-household consumers: for them the limit equals the full permitted capacity.

This is a limit on export CAPACITY, not on the volume of generation and not on "half of your consumption". It can be increased in two ways: by obtaining the connection service, or by meeting the operator's separate technical requirements provided for in the codes.

The practical conclusion is the same as the economic one: a plant is sized for self-consumption, not "for selling into the grid".

Active consumer status: how to export surpluses lawfully

The self-generation mechanism (net-billing) is what replaced the "green tariff" for new commercial sites.

It is formalised through an electricity sale-and-purchase agreement under the self-generation mechanism, which is an annex to the electricity supply agreement.
Settlement works as hourly netting of value: the value of the energy exported to the grid is credited in your settlements with the supplier. This is compensation of value, not a guaranteed income.
Bidirectional commercial metering is required — consumption from the grid and export to the grid are metered separately.
No licence is needed if the installed capacity of the generating units at a single metering site does not exceed 5 MW.
Using the "green tariff" and the self-generation mechanism simultaneously for one and the same installation is not allowed.

Commissioning: in 2026 the rules for rooftop solar plants were simplified

🟢 Rooftop and façade solar plants. From 28 January 2026, works on installing solar power plants on the roofs and façades of buildings (as well as replacing equipment on them) were added to the list of works that do not require permitting documents in the construction sphere, and such facilities are not subject to acceptance into operation (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 77 of 28.01.2026, which supplemented the existing list). ⚠️ Condition: there must be a building survey report drawn up by a professional holding a qualification certificate — with a conclusion on the technical condition, the impact on the strength and stability of the structures, and the feasibility of carrying out the works. In other words, checking the load-bearing capacity of the roof has stopped being a "recommendation" and has become a condition of legality.

Ground-mounted solar plants remain a full-fledged construction object: design documentation, a consequence class, and then a declaration of readiness for operation or a certificate (registered by the state architectural and construction control authority, DIAM).

Separately: two things that are often confused

"Flexible connection". The customer's right to propose a flexible connection to the operator (limiting the permitted capacity instead of reconstructing the networks) has been enshrined in law since 2026. But the procedure in the Distribution Systems Code is, as of July 2026, still being introduced — the regulator put the relevant amendments up for discussion in the spring of 2026. So it is not worth counting on this as a working instrument "already today" — check its status with the operator.

Simplified connection of distributed generation (introduced for the period of martial law) has been extended by the regulator; the deadlines for filing applications and completing connections have been shifted to 2027. The conditions change, so they are checked at the moment the application is filed.

What we take on

We prepare the full package and run the process: determining the scenario (A or B), the application and the single-line diagram, support up to obtaining the TU, the design, switchgear of our own manufacture, installation, testing, connection and the drawing up of certificates.

An honest boundary: the decision to issue technical conditions and the scope of the connection is made by the operator. A contractor can prepare an impeccable package and run the process — but cannot guarantee the operator's decision or a term that depends on the operator's queue.

→ Calculate the connection for your site. Or download the checklist "How to choose a contractor for an industrial solar plant: 8 points".

Frequently asked questions

Are technical conditions required for a solar plant built for self-consumption? If the plant fits within the already permitted (contracted) capacity of your site and operates inside your own networks — no. The Distribution Systems Code expressly provides for the connection of a generating unit inside your own networks without the connection service: you file an application for the installation of a generating unit and a single-line diagram, and within 5 working days the operator carries out an inspection, seals the protection equipment and draws up the certificates. Technical conditions are required if you increase the permitted capacity, connect the generation separately, or want to export more to the grid than the limit.

How long does the operator take to issue technical conditions? Statutorily — 10 working days; 20 working days if approval is required from the transmission system operator or other entities. For generation, such approval is often required.

How long does connecting a solar plant take? The statutory terms for providing the "turnkey" connection service itself run from 120 calendar days (up to 160 kW) to 350 calendar days (1–5 MW); for capacities above 5 MW there is no statutory term — it is set by the design. The regulations set no terms for designing the plant, installation and commissioning, so the overall schedule is an estimate for a specific site, not a statutory figure.

How much does connection cost? The fee consists of a capacity component and a component for the line part. The rates are approved by NEURC annually and differ for every operator, voltage class and location (urban/rural). So the amount is calculated using the rates in force for your site — an "average connection price" does not exist.

Can I export to the grid everything the plant has generated? No. For a non-household active consumer, the capacity permitted for export is limited to 50% of the permitted (contracted) capacity of their electrical installations (household and small non-household consumers are the exception). The limit can be increased through the connection service or by meeting the operator's separate technical requirements.

Do I need a licence to sell surpluses? No, if the installed capacity of the generating units at a single metering site does not exceed 5 MW. A sale-and-purchase agreement under the self-generation mechanism is concluded — an annex to the supply agreement.

Does a rooftop solar plant have to be accepted into operation? Since 28.01.2026, works on installing solar plants on roofs and façades do not require permitting documents in the construction sphere, and such facilities are not subject to acceptance into operation — but a building survey report from a professional holding a qualification certificate is required. A ground-mounted plant is commissioned under the general procedure (a declaration or a certificate).

Grid Connection for a Solar Plant: Technical Conditions, Steps, Documents