UP Proposes Dedicated Resource Adequacy Cells For Discoms

UP Proposes Dedicated Resource Adequacy Cells For Discoms

The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has issued a draft regulation to better tackle the issue of resource adequacy and expedite the growth of renewable energy in the state. The draft plan has also proposed timelines for compliance and special attention on the issue by the concerned discoms.

The draft also talked about establishment of dedicated cells on the issue by the discoms within a fixed timeline. “The Distribution Licensees shall establish a planning cell for Resource Adequacy within three months of the Regulation coming into force. The cell shall have the requisite capability and tools (Software programs such as ORDENA/PLEXOS) for demand forecast, capacity, RE integration etc using other methodologies whether probabilistic or not.”

It also said, “Another round the clock dedicated cell shall also be constituted by Distribution Licensees for power purchase/sell in real-time, and undertake intra-day, day- ahead, week ahead power procurement through Power Exchanges or any other means. Distribution Licensees shall frame suitable guidelines for the modus operandi of the dedicated cells in line with the spirit of these Regulations and shall apprise the Commission regarding the same within 45 days from the date of coming into force of this Regulations.”

The UPERC proposal also mandated the discoms to submit the demand forecasts to the State Load Despatch Center (SLDC) by April 30th of each year for the ensuing year. “ SLDC shall aggregate and submit state-level demand forecasts to the Authority and the NLDC by 31st May of each year for the ensuing year(s). SLDC shall allocate each Distribution Licensee’s share in the national peak within 15 days of publications of LT-NRAP report of each year for the ensuing year(s),” it added.

The UPERC draft norms also asked the discoms to prepare the long term, short term and mid-term plan to identify the generation resource mix and procurement strategy.

“Distribution licensee through Annual Rolling Plan shall ascertain incremental capacity addition requirement through Long-Term/Medium Term/Short-Term upon factoring in its own existing and planned procurement initiatives,” it said.