The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC) has issued an order in Petition No. 92 of 2025 filed by M/s Western Coke Products, a partnership firm based in Korba, Chhattisgarh. The firm is engaged in manufacturing carbon derivatives and approached the Commission seeking an exemption from the requirement of having a dedicated feeder to avail open access for solar power.
M/s Western Coke Products operates a manufacturing unit with a contract demand of 1000 KVA. The plant is presently connected through the 33 kV Kartala feeder originating from the Rampur substation. Alongside its industrial operations, the firm also owns a 4.40 MW solar photovoltaic power project located in Raigarh district. This solar project was commissioned in December 2025 and is allowed to evacuate power through a dedicated feeder at the generation end.
The petitioner submitted that installing a dedicated feeder at the consumer end for drawing solar power was not practical. According to the firm, the quantum of solar power drawn for captive consumption would be very small, making the cost and effort of creating a dedicated feeder unjustified. Based on this reasoning, the firm requested the Commission to grant an exemption from this requirement.
Under Clause 5(5) of the CSERC (Connectivity and Intra-State Open Access) Regulations, 2011, the Commission has the authority to exempt bulk consumers from the condition of a dedicated feeder, subject to certain load restrictions and compliance requirements. M/s Western Coke Products assured the Commission that it would comply with all technical and operational conditions. This included developing data communication facilities for the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) and installing the required metering equipment.
The Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL), which was the first respondent in the case, stated that open access consumers are generally required to be connected through a dedicated feeder with online data communication to the SLDC. However, CSPDCL added that the Commission could consider the request if specific technical and legal conditions were met. These conditions included the installation of ABT meters with Automated Meter Reading facilities and Real-Time Units for data communication. CSPDCL also required the petitioner to waive any claims against the utility in case of feeder failure or during scheduled maintenance of the common 33 kV Kartala feeder.
The second respondent, Chhattisgarh State Power Transmission Company Limited (CSPTCL), clarified that both the injection point of the solar project and the draw point of power were connected to CSPDCL’s distribution substation. As the state transmission network was not involved, CSPTCL stated it would abide by the Commission’s decision.
After reviewing the submissions, the Commission noted that the petitioner had agreed to all the conditions proposed by CSPDCL and CSPTCL. Based on this, CSERC allowed the petition and granted an exemption from the requirement of a dedicated feeder. The firm is now permitted to use the common distribution feeder to access its captive solar power, subject to compliance with regulatory and technical requirements. The order was signed on December 30, 2025, by Vivek Ganodwale, Member (Law), and Ajay Kumar Singh, Member (Technical).
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