Haryana (HERC) Amends Renewable Purchase Obligation Policy, Adds Wind

Haryana has made the renewable purchase obligation (RPO) system more dynamic and eased the liability of stakeholders as it has included wind energy within the ambit of RPO. In an important development, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has amended the policy on RPO by including wind energy and aligning solar energy to the other categories of RPO.

HERC said in the order wind power RPO shall be met only by energy produced from Wind Power Projects (WPPs), commissioned after 31st March 2022. Further, Wind RPO may also be met from the wind energy consumed over and above 7 per cent of the total energy consumption, from WPPs commissioned till March 31, 2022.

The new order of HERC said that the amendments were in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Power (MoP). The new regulation will be effective from 2024 as the RPO targets of entities for the financial year 2023 were based on the RE regulations of 2021 of HERC.

With regards to Hydro power Purchase Obligation (HPO), HERC held that these are to be met from Large Hydropower Projects (LHPs) or Small Hydro Power Projects (SHPs) including Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs), commissioned after March 8, 2019. The commission also said that other RPO may be met by energy produced from any RE power project.

HERC regulations also said that the DISCOMs, while complying with the RPO, shall ensure trade-off between REC and the purchase of RE power and take financial prudent action accordingly.

If a DISCOM is unable to make up the wind PRO, it can purchase energy from hydropower plants. HREC held that hydropower imported from outside India will not be granted HPO compliance.

HERC order held that the Energy Storage Obligation specified by it will be treated as fulfilled only when at least 85% of the total energy stored in the Energy Storage System (ESS), on an annual basis, is procured from renewable energy sources.

The Energy Storage Obligation to the extent of energy stored from RE sources will be considered as a part of fulfilment of the total RPO also.