Ajmer Discom Gets Relief As RERC Sets Aside SLDC Order On Open Access Charges

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The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC), in its latest order, granted relief to Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (AVVNL) in a case related to open access charges.

The discom earlier had challenged a 2018 order of the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) which directed the discom to pay for the unscheduled interchange (UI) charges to its consumer RSWM Ltd.

It comes after the power consumer moved SLDC for payment of the UI charges from the discom due to under drawl of electricity between August 19, 2009, to February 24, 2016. It pleaded with the SLDC for the payment against a short-term Open Access through a power exchange and the under drawal of power.

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However, the RERC, in its order, said that Open Access and related charges were governed by the RERC (Terms and Conditions for Open Access) Third Amendment Regulation 2006 and RERC (Intra-State ABT) Regulations 2006. It also said that for the implementation of these, it was a prerequisite to install ABT (Availability-based Tariff) meter and other devices to calculate and settle related charges under open access.

The RERC order said, “The ABT accounts have to be settled only based on ABT meters installed at all ends without any human interface and could not be based on few petitioner’s metering. Thus, the UI settlement of open access, which depends upon enforceability of RERC (intra-State ABT) Regulations 2006, could not be implemented.” The RERC, in its order, said that the installations of such meters were not done up to May 2016.

Citing the absence of such meters to calculate charges, the RERC ordered quashing the earlier SLDC order, which directed AVVNL to pay the charges to the power consumer. “…It is clear that intra-state ABT Regulations in the state were not implemented and therefore, UI settlements based on ABT Rates could not be given effect. In the above facts and circumstances, the directions issued by the SLDC on December 17, 2018, and subsequent letters dated October 4, 2019, are hereby set aside and quashed,” the order read.

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