Tuesday, February 11, 2014: The Tamil Nadu State Electricity Regulatory Commission has reportedly reworked on the structure of the solar power roadmap for the state, which is centred on the primary need to achieve some much needed targets in power deficient state. In an earlier move, the state regulator had also set aside the basic plan relieving high-tension customers.
The state’s power regulator, in their original plan, had designed to meet an aggressive target of 3GW of solar power in just three years. The set up required big power consumers to meet their energy requirements via solar power, by margins of 3 per cent in 2013, 6 per cent in 2014 and so on.
With their renewable energy purchase obligation, 9 per cent of the energy requirements of entities such as Tangedco, the state power utility, and captive and open access customers, were to be levied through renewable energy. While imposition on open access and captive customers depends on the conclusion of court case, which the state regulator is facing in the Tribunal.
The proposal was challenged before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, by the Tamil Nadu Spinning Mills Association and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers’ Association. The conclusion is awaited.
In the power deficient state of Tamil Nadu, the TNSERC has reportedly put obligations on Tangedco and also has nipped the requirement as 2 per cent of the total energy consumption, of a total renewable energy requirement of 11 per cent. This is aimed via solar sources for the annual records of 2014-15 and 2015-16. TNSERC also invited bids for building solar plants with capacities of approximately 1,000 MW.
