The Ministry of Power on 3rd October 2021 has promulgated the Electricity (Transmission System Planning, Development and Recovery of Inter-State Transmission Charges) Rules 2021. The rules are aimed at encouraging investments in the generation and transmission sectors. The rules will enable the country to develop deeper markets.
The rules underpin a system of transmission access which is termed as a General Network Access in the inter-state transmission system. This provides flexibility to the States as well as the generating stations to acquire, hold and transfer transmission capacity as per their requirements.
The rule brings in rationality, responsibility and fairness in the process of transmission planning as well as its costs. In a major change from the present system of taking transmission access, power plants will not have to specify their target beneficiaries. The rules will also empower state power distribution and transmission companies to determine their transmission requirements and build them. Also, states will be able to purchase electricity from short term and medium term contracts and optimize their power purchase costs.
The rules have enabled, for the first time, that the transmission capacity can be sold, shared or purchased by the States and generators. The rules prescribe that excess drawal or injection over the GNA capacity sanctioned shall be charged at rates which are at least 25% higher and this will ensure that the entities do not under-declare their GNA capacity. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has been empowered to bring out detailed regulations on GNA in inter state transmission system.
The rules specify how the existing long-term access (LTA) would be transitioned into General Network Access. The rules also outline the recovery of GNA charges from the users of transmission network and assign the responsibility of billing, collection and disbursement of inter state transmission charges to the Central Transmission Utility.
