CSERC Approves Open Access For 20 MW Solar PV Power Without Dedicated Feeder

In this matter, M/s RR Ispat, a unit of Godawari Power & Ispat Ltd., has submitted a petition seeking an exemption from having a dedicated feeder for availing open access to solar photovoltaic (PV) power at the user end. The request was made under the provisions of the CSERC (Connectivity and Intra-State Open Access) Regulations, 2011, and its amendments. The petitioner is a registered company with a significant contract demand and connectivity at 132 kV supply from the Sector A Substation in Urla, Raipur.

The petitioner, represented by Shri Sudeep Chakraborty, seeks this exemption to utilize power from their solar PV plant, which is located in Mahrumkala village, Khairagarh District. This solar power plant has an installed capacity of 28MWp (DC)/20 MW (AC) and is connected to the 220 kV Thelkadih substation in Rajnandgaon. The plant was synchronized and commissioned in February 2024. Due to the remote location of the captive user, the petitioner wishes to use the existing common distribution feeder instead of installing a dedicated feeder at the user’s end.

The respondents in this case are Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) and Chhattisgarh State Power Transmission Company Limited (CSPTCL), both represented by their respective executives. CSPDCL is the distribution licensee and CSPTCL is the transmission licensee in the state of Chhattisgarh.

The petitioner has made several submissions to support their request. They emphasized that the commission has the power to grant exemptions from having dedicated feeders for bulk consumers, as per the open access regulations. The petitioner is prepared to develop data communication facilities and install the necessary metering and other equipment as required by the regulations.

In response, CSPDCL submitted that the petitioner intends to draw solar PV power from the grid for captive use and is permitted to connect with the distribution licensee’s grid for injecting generated solar PV power. CSPDCL acknowledged the regulations and suggested that the commission might consider granting the exemption, provided certain conditions are met. These conditions include the installation of an ABT meter with AMR, RTU for online data communication and an agreement that the petitioner will not lodge any claims in case of failures or maintenance issues related to the multi-consumer HV feeder supplying power to them.

Similarly, CSPTCL raised no objections to the petitioner’s request, provided the petitioner fulfills conditions such as the installation of appropriate metering and communication equipment and agreeing to load restrictions imposed by the licensee on the feeders serving them.

The commission, after hearing the parties and reviewing the submissions, decided that the petitioner could be exempted from having a dedicated feeder to avail open access, following the provisions of the open access regulations. The conditions set forth by the respondents were accepted by the petitioner, who submitted the required undertakings.

Therefore, the commission granted the exemption from having a dedicated feeder to the petitioner, allowing them to avail open access from their captive solar power plant, subject to the fulfillment of the conditions specified by the respondents. This decision enables the petitioner to proceed without the need for a dedicated feeder, thereby facilitating the utilization of their solar PV power for captive use through the existing common distribution feeder.