The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has issued a series of clarifications on implementing the Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) Regulations 2024.

Earlier this year, the Commission had issued the GEOA regulations.

The clarifications came in response to a request by the Andhra Pradesh State Load Despatch Centre.

The Commission notified that ₹2 (~$0.023)/kWh must be paid for the unutilized banked energy from renewable energy generators for FY 2024-25.

The settlements must not be kept pending for any reason and must be carried out as per the correct procedure suggested by the Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (APTRANSCO).

If the generator and consumers are connected at high tension and above voltage levels, the energy of all GEOA generators must be settled within 15 minutes block-wise according to the day-ahead schedule.

If the generators and consumers are connected at low tension (LT) voltage, and/or the generators are connected at High Tension (HT), and the consumers are connected at LT, the actual energy injected from the green energy generators will be settled in Time of Day (ToD) blocks.

For ToD consumers, the energy banked during peak ToD slots must be adjusted in peak ToD slots first, and the left-over banked energy in ToD slots must be adjusted during off-peak TOD slots.  For non-ToD consumers, surplus energy after lumpsum adjustment must be treated as unutilized energy and paid at the rate notified by the Commission.

If the long-term and short-term open access renewable energy projects are covered by any other regulations before the formulation of GEOA regulations, the energy and banking settlement must be done as per The Indian Electricity Grid Code 2006. It also applies if open access projects are under the purview of GEOA regulations.

The generator’s unutilized banked energy upon the expiry of the existing agreement must be settled as per Regulation 2 of The Indian Electricity Grid Code, 2006.

The Commission said that all changes in names, entry/exit points, and contracted capacities of the consumers as per the open access agreement provisions must not be construed for applying GEOA Regulations 2024.  Only new applications and applications for additional capacity of the existing OTA generator will be covered by the GEOA Regulations.

If an existing generator’s additional capacity is allowed through the same interface meter under GEOA, the energy recorded on the interface meter must be assigned based on the capacities in old and new regimes without insisting on separate metering for additional capacity under GEOA.

The commission also added that special energy meters must not be required for LT consumers availing of GEOA.

In September 2024, APERC issued guidelines to address calculating electricity units exported by solar net meter consumers during periods when meters are defective or non-functional.