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The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has issued an amendment to the Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023, aiming to simplify and clarify provisions for renewable energy consumers and generators. The amendment was finalized after a public hearing on February 20, 2025, and was officially approved on February 25, 2025. The amendment modifies the eligibility criteria for green energy open access. Initially, only consumers with a contracted demand of 100 kW or above were eligible. The new regulation now allows multiple connections within the same electricity division to aggregate their load to meet the 100 kW threshold. Additionally, captive consumers are no longer limited in how much power they can source under open access. One of the key changes is the extension of the exemption from additional surcharges for offshore wind projects. Previously, this exemption applied to projects commissioned by December 2025. The amendment extends this exemption until December 2032, ensuring long-term incentives for offshore wind energy development. Several stakeholders, including Cleanmax Enviro Energy Solutions, the Distributed Solar Power Association, Hexa Sun Energy, and Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL), submitted their concerns and suggestions. Cleanmax requested a clarification that captive consumers should be allowed to install renewable power plants without capacity restrictions and should be eligible for open access beyond their contract demand. The Distributed Solar Power Association also raised concerns about the application of deviation settlement mechanism (DSM) charges, arguing that renewable energy consumers under long-term open access should not be penalized for fluctuations in generation. Another major discussion point was standby charges. The Ministry of Power had previously set a cap of 25% on energy charges for standby power. Some stakeholders argued that instead of imposing heavy DSM penalties for deviations in renewable generation, these should be replaced with standby charges that are fair and reflective of actual costs. HVPNL proposed certain wording changes for clarity, such as replacing “consumers” with “consumer” and refining terms related to electricity divisions. The Commission accepted some of these suggestions to remove ambiguities. The Commission ultimately decided that open access power consumption should not exceed a consumer’s sanctioned contract demand. However, captive generating plants will still be allowed to sell surplus power under long-term, medium-term, or short-term open access arrangements. Additionally, to ensure compliance, the Commission mandated that open-access consumers must adhere to the scheduling and deviation settlement regulations for solar and wind energy. However, it clarified that overdrawal penalties should not apply to long-term open-access consumers using renewable energy. The new regulations also specify that consumers drawing power under open access must restrict their total drawal to their contracted demand. Any excess consumption will be subject to penalties unless prior arrangements are made. The amendment is a significant step in promoting renewable energy while balancing grid stability. By clarifying rules and extending incentives, HERC aims to make green energy open access more accessible to consumers and businesses in Haryana. |
