Meghalaya Sets Green Energy Access Standards with MSERC's New Regulations

Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC) has rolled out fresh regulations geared towards advancing green energy open access within the state.  The Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Terms and Conditions of Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2023, are designed to establish transparent protocols for assessing fees and access terms for consumers who choose green energy options. 

The new regulations will be applicable for allowing Open Access of electricity generated from green energy sources, including the energy from non-fossil fuel-based Waste-to-Energy plant for use of Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS) or distribution system or both, which are incidental to Inter- State Transmission of electricity.

As per new regulations, the open access consumers are classified into the three categories based on the duration of use of the lntra -state transmission and/or distribution system. Long-term Open Access consumers include the ones availing or intending to avail the open access for a Period equal to or more than three years, whereas the Medium-term Open Access consumers include people availing or intending to avail the open access for a period more than three months and less than three years. The third category include Short-term Open Access consumers who are availing or intending to avail the open access for a period of one month at a time. 

The MSERC regulations delineate several crucial provisions within their framework. Notably, they outline the eligibility criteria for Green Energy Open Access. According to these guidelines, consumers, licensees, and ‘Green Energy’ generating stations are eligible for Green Energy Open Access to both inter-state and intra-state transmission, contingent upon compliance with the regulations and system availability. Consumers with a contracted demand or sanctioned load of 100 kW or higher qualify to procure power through Green Energy Open Access, without any restrictions on power supply for captive consumers.

Additionally, the extent of open access granted is determined by the voltage level to which the consumer is connected. For instance, consumers connected at the 11 kV level can receive open access between 100 kW and less than 2 MW, while those at the 33 kV level can access between 2 MW and less than 5 MW. Consumers connected at 33 kV level and above can access over 5 MW, thereby being designated as users of the intra-state transmission network.

The Central Government has designated 'POSOCO' as the Central Nodal Agency responsible for establishing and operating a single-window green energy open access system for renewable energy. Under this system, the State Load Dispatch Center (SLDC) will act as the State Nodal Agency for granting short-term (up to a month) green energy open access to consumers connected at 33 kV and above, while the distribution licensee will serve as the nodal agency for consumers connected at 11 kV and below.

For medium-term (three months to three years) and long-term (more than three years) access, the State Transmission Utility (STU) will serve as the Nodal Agency. All applications related to connectivity and green energy open access will be processed at the STU Headquarters, following the procedures and formats devised by the STU. Additionally, the STU may refer to the procedures prepared by POSOCO for the grant of green energy open access.

Fees related to green energy open access encompass transmission charges, wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharges, standby charges, banking charges, and other pertinent fees. These fees, set by the MSERC, will undergo regular review and may be adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, the designated Nodal agency will issue Green Energy certificates annually to consumers upon their request, acknowledging the supply of green energy by the licensee beyond the consumers' renewable purchase obligation.