The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has directed 20 renewable energy projects that had received provisional or conditional connectivity approvals to submit compliance reports, specifying the capacity of non-compliance that should be curtailed or suspended until they fully meet the regulatory requirements.

The CEA Chairperson had convened a meeting with stakeholders in the renewable energy sector to address the non-compliance with the Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid Regulations.

Specific deadlines were initially set for compliance as part of the conditional or provisional connectivity approvals granted to these developers. Through mutual agreement, these deadlines were extended to September 30, 2023, to seamlessly integrate renewable energy into the national grid and achieve the government’s renewable energy generation targets. However, extending compliance deadlines posed a challenge for numerous developers.

The conditional and provisional connectivity approvals were granted based on the undertakings made by the developers themselves. The agreed-upon timeline for compliance was extended, but those who could not meet the extended deadlines should have promptly communicated their inability to do so and taken appropriate actions.

The meeting also discussed the case of Azure Power Maple, which had sought an extension for installing the reactive power compensation device for its 300 MW solar project in Bhadla, Rajasthan.

It was emphasized that all developers must transparently share their actions to meet existing regulations and honor their commitments.

Suggestions, including the possibility of renewable projects requesting a reduction in their connectivity capacity to match their compliance capabilities, were also discussed.

Azure Power Maple had planned to install only 50% of the required reactive power capacity, but no additional capacity was commissioned despite missing two committed deadlines.

In contrast, several other developers, including Tata Power and SBSR cleantech, reported full compliance with existing regulations.

Grid-India revealed that out of 20 renewable projects issued provisional or conditional first-time charging approvals, 17 had either fully or partially complied. Two additional projects were in various stages of execution to meet reactive power compensation requirements. However, Azure Power Maple has yet to procure the necessary devices to address reactive power requirements.

In February, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission issued new guidelines to supplement the Deviation Settlement Mechanism Regulations 2022 to maintain grid security. These regulations came into force last December after wide-frequency fluctuations in the grid occurred. The regulator stipulated certain measures to contain frequency within the operating band.