The Union power ministry, through Official Gazette, has notified “Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2024” as an amendment to the “Electricity Rules, 2005”.
The amendments are with respect to operation and maintenance of dedicated transmission lines, and open access (OA) charges.
Exemption of licence
A generating company or a person setting up a captive generating plant or an energy storage system or a consumer having load of not less than 25 mw in case of interstate transmission system (ISTS) and 10 mw in case of intra-state transmission system (InSTS) shall not be required to obtain license under the Act for establishing, operating or maintaining a dedicated transmission line to connect to the grid, if such company or person or consumer complies with the Regulations, technical standards, guidelines and procedures issued under the provisions of the Act.
Open Access charges
The charges for using state transmission utility network by the consumers availing short-term open access or Temporary-GNA, as the case may be, shall not be more than 110 per cent of the charges levied on consumers using state transmission utility (STU) network on long-term basis or on General Network Access (GNA) basis, as the case may be.
Additional Surcharge
The additional surcharge levied on any OA consumer shall not be more than the per-unit fixed cost of power purchase of the distribution licensee concerned, provided that:
- for a person availing GNA or OA, the additional surcharge shall be linearly reduced from the value in the year in which GNA or OA was granted so that, if it is continued to be availed by this person, the additional surcharge shall get eliminated within four years from the date of grant of GNA or OA
- the additional surcharge shall not be applicable for OA consumer to the extent of contract demand being maintained with the distribution licensees
- the additional surcharge shall be applicable only for the OA consumers who are or have been consumers of the concerned distribution licensee.
These amendments have come into force effective January 11, 2024.
Also read: Electricity Imports By Southern Region Rise Sharply
Featured photograph for representation only.
