Green Energy Open Access: KERC Includes Centre’s Amended Norms

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), in its latest order, included the amendment norms of the Union government on Green Energy Open Access in its state Green Energy Open Access rules to extend the benefits of the same in the southern Indian state. 

Karnataka issued the Green Energy Open Access in 2022. The same year the Union government notified the rules on the issue. The Ministry of Power, however, on May 23 this year amended its eligibility criteria for the beneficiaries who wanted to opt for the services.

The new norms said that only those consumers who have contracted demand or sanctioned load of 100 Kw or more either through a single connection or through multiple connections aggregating 100 KW or more located in the same electricity division of a discom would be eligible to take power through green energy open access. It also said there should be no limit on the power supply for the captive consumers taking power under this mode. 

KERC said that after the ministry issued the amendment, several stakeholders in Karnataka approached the Commission, seeking its intervention and passing an order accordingly. In its suo motu order, the Commission said that per the KERC rules on green energy, open access of 2022 special provisions were made to include any new provisions issued by the ministry but not covered in the state rules. 

“The Commission hereby decided to issue an order allowing consumers who have contracted demand or sanctioned load of 100 kW or more, either through a single connection or through multiple connections aggregating 100 Kw or more located in the same electricity division of a distribution licensee, to source power through Green Energy Open Access,” the order of the KERC read.