CERC Proposes New Changes In GNA Rules To Boost RE

CERC Proposes New Changes In GNA Rules To Boost RE

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has now issued a new draft regulation on General Network Access (GNA). With this proposed fourth amendment in the regulations, the regulatory body has planned to enhance grid stability and boost renewable energy.

The central agency has now proposed imposing a new regulation for entities with restricted access. It said that a renewable energy generating system (REGS) with or without energy storage based on wind source or ESS needs to seek connectivity with restricted access (non-solar hours) at a terminal bay of an ISTS substation.

Restricted Access means restricted scheduling rights for solar hours or non-solar hours of the day for entities covered under Regulation 5.11 of these Regulations.

It said that this will be done through a separate dedicated transmission system or which is already allocated to another REGS or renewable power park with restricted access (solar hours).

For example, CERC said, “An REGS (Wind – 400 MW, ESS – 200 MW) may seek Connectivity of 600 MW with restricted access rights, where injection scheduling rights during solar hours shall be Nil and injection scheduling rights during non-solar hours shall be 600 MW.”

The new draft regulation said that the in principle or final grant of Connectivity intimated to an REGS (with or without ESS) based on solar source or an RHGS with a combination of solar source with another source, including ESS (including cases where GNA is effective) will be converted as an entity with restricted access (corresponding to non-solar capacity during non-solar hours) within a period.

CERC has also proposed revised definitions of solar hours and non-solar hours. It said, “Solar hours” means the time blocks of the day as declared by NLDC on each Saturday for the subsequent week starting from Monday to Sunday every week for each State based on anticipated solar insolation.

It also added, “Non-Solar hours” means the time blocks other than ‘Solar hours’ of the same day. The proposed draft regulation also said that the renewable power park development needs to furnish the scheduled date of commercial operations of the generating station under the park prior to the grant of final connectivity.