Draft Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy through Green Energy
Open Access) Rules, 2021 Circulated
The Ministry of Power has circulated the “Draft Electricity
(promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021”on 16
August, 2021. They have placed them on the Ministry of
Power website - https://powermin.gov.in/
and sought comments within 30 days.
These rules are proposed for purchase and consumption of green
energy including the energy from Waste-to-Energy plants. The draft rules have the
following subheads within which details are provided: Renewable Purchase Obligation
(RPO); Green energy open access; Nodal Agencies; Procedure for grant of green energy
open access; banking; and cross subsidy surcharge.
These draft rules with regard to tariff propose that “The
Tariff for the Green Energy shall be determined by the Appropriate Commission, which
may comprise of the average pooled power purchase cost of the renewable energy,
cross-subsidy charges (if any) and service charges covering all prudent cost of
the distribution licensee for providing the green energy.”
The drat rules regarding green hydrogen
state “Green hydrogen” is the hydrogen produced using electricity from the renewable
sources. The obligated entity including the Industries can also meet their Renewable
Purchase Obligation by purchasing green hydrogen. The quantum of green hydrogen
would be computed by considering the equivalence to the Green hydrogen produced
from one MWh of electricity from the renewable sources or its
multiple. The norms shall be notified by the Central Commission.
These draft rules also propose guidelines for green energy
open access and state that “The Appropriate Commission shall put in place regulations
in accordance with this Rule to provide Green Energy Open Access to consumers who
are willing to consume the Green energy. All applications for open access of Green
Energy shall be granted within a maximum of 15 days. Provided that only Consumers
who have contracted demand/sanctioned load of hundred kW and above shall be eligible
to take power through green energy open access. There shall be no limit of supply
of power for the captive consumers taking power under green energy open access.
Provided further that reasonable conditions such as the minimum number of time blocks
for which the consumer shall not change the quantum of power consumed through open
access may be imposed so as to avoid high variation in demand to be met by the distribution
licensee.”