MoP Issues Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2022

The Ministry of Power (MoP) has issuedthe Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2022.

The State Commission may, in accordance with the most recent amendment rules, consider the customer average disruption duration index, customer average interrupt frequency index, and momentary average interrupt frequency index as additional indicators for reliability of supply.

The minimum interruption time to calculate additional reliability indicators shall be determined by the State Commission.

If the State Commission does not specify the interruption time, then three minutes will be used to calculate the additional reliability indicators.

Additionally, consumers who use diesel generator sets for essential back-up power must make an effort to switch to cleaner technology, such as renewable energy with storage, within five years of the date these rules were established.

The Union Ministry of Power published rules in 2020 that set out the rights of power users. The Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy stated that the rules would empower consumers of electricity.

He also said that the rules were based on the belief that power systems exist to serve consumers and that consumers have the right to access reliable services and high-quality electricity. The distribution companies in the country are monopolies, whether they be government or private. Therefore, it was essential that the rights of the consumers be outlined in Rules and that a system be in place to enforce these rights.