Electricity
(Amendment) Rules, 2024
[10th
January 2024]
In exercise of the powers
conferred by Section 176 of the Electricity Act, 2003 (36 of 2003), the Central
Government hereby makes the following rules, further to amend the Electricity
Rules, 2005, namely:
Rule - 1.
(1)
These rules may be called the Electricity
(Amendment) Rules, 2024.
(2)
They shall come into force on the date of
their publication in the Official Gazette.
Rule - 2.
In the Electricity Rules,
2005 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), the existing rule 21 shall be
renumbered as rule 24 and before the said rule as so renumbered, the following
rules shall be inserted, namely:-
"21.
Establishment, operation and maintenance
of dedicated transmission lines.-
A generating company or a
person setting up a captive generating plant or an Energy Storage System or a
consumer having load of not less than twenty five Megawatt in case of Inter
State Transmission System and ten Megawatt in case of Intra-State Transmission
System shall not be required to obtain license under the Act for establishing,
operating or maintaining a dedicated transmission line to connect to the grid,
if such company or person or consumer complies with the Regulations, technical
standards, guidelines and procedures issued under the provisions of the Act.
22.
Open Access Charges.-
(1)
Wheeling charges.- Wheeling charges shall be
computed as per following formula:
Wheeling Charge = Annual
Revenue Requirement towards wheeling Energy wheeled during the year
(2)
Charges for using network of State
Transmission Utilities.- The charges for using State Transmission Utility
network by the consumers availing short-term open access or Temporary-GNA, as
the case may be shall not be more than one hundred ten per cent of the charges
levied on consumers using State Transmission Utility network on long-term basis
or on General Network Access basis, as the case may be.
(3)
Additional Surcharge.- The additional
surcharge levied on any Open Access Consumer shall not be more than the per
unit fixed cost of power purchase of the distribution licensee concerned:
Provided that for a person
availing General Network Access or Open Access, the additional surcharge shall
be linearly reduced from the value in the year in which General Network Access
or Open Access was granted so that, if it is continued to be availed by this
person, the additional surcharge shall get eliminated within four years from
the date of grant of General Network Access or Open Access:
Provided further that the
additional surcharge shall not be applicable for Open Access Consumer to the
extent of contract demand being maintained with the distribution licensees:
Provided also that the
additional surcharge shall be applicable only for the Open Access Consumers who
are or have been consumers of the concerned Distribution licensee.
Explanation.- For the
purpose of this rule, General Network Access and Temporary-GNA shall have the
same meaning as defined in the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
(Connectivity and General Network Access to the inter-State Transmission
System) Regulations, 2022 as amended from time to time.
23. Gap between approved Annual Revenue
Requirement and estimated annual revenue from approved tariff
The tariff shall be cost
reflective and there shall not be any gap between approved Annual Revenue
Requirement and estimated annual revenue from approved tariff except under
natural calamity conditions:
Provided that such gap,
created if any, shall not be more than three percent of the approved Annual
Revenue Requirement:
Provided further that such
gap along with the carrying costs at the base rate of Late Payment Surcharge as
specified in the Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge and Related Matters)
Rules, 2022, as amended from time to time shall be liquidated in maximum three
numbers of equal yearly installments from the next financial year:
Provided also that any gap
between approved Annual Revenue Requirement and estimated annual revenue from approved
tariff existing on the date of notification of these rules, along with the
carrying costs at the base rate of Late Payment Surcharge as specified in the
Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge and Related Matters) Rules, 2022, as
amended from time to time shall be liquidated in maximum seven numbers of equal
yearly installments starting from the next financial year."