The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC) has approved a revised load management procedure submitted by Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company (CSPDCL). The revision applies to industrial, town, and rural feeders, as well as feeders under the Advanced Distribution Management System. It also introduces provisions for agricultural pump feeders.

The Commission approved load management for agricultural feeders under the Atal Jyoti program, High Voltage Distribution System pump feeders, and dedicated pump feeders It directed that load management be implemented only during under-frequency and overdrawal conditions. All entities connected to the grid must comply with instructions issued by the State Load Dispatch Centre.

Licensees must submit monthly reports by the 10th of each month detailing the circumstances under which load management was invoked. The Commission also directed the submission of quarterly compliance reports on agricultural feeder operations.

Background

The distribution company sought approval to revise Chapter 2 of the Internal Operating Procedure for the state grid. It stated that the existing framework provided about 100 MW load relief per group during shortages, which it considered insufficient.

The earlier-approved mechanism allowed load management for industrial, town, and rural feeders, as well as feeders under the Advanced Distribution Management System, while excluding agricultural feeders under the Atal Jyoti and High Voltage Distribution System programs.

In the revised proposal, the utility grouped 93 33 kV feeders into seven subgroups and 40 extra-high-voltage consumers at 132 kV into five subgroups. The estimated load relief from these industrial groups is about 1,862.80 MW.

For town and rural feeders, 115 feeders at 33 kV were divided into nine groups with an estimated load relief of about 1,359.20 MW.

The proposal also included 155 feeders under the Advanced Distribution Management System for automatic operation during over drawal conditions.

For agriculture, the utility proposed including 761 pump feeders under Atal Jyoti, High Voltage Distribution System, and dedicated categories. It proposed a fixed load management period from 17:00 to 23:00 hours, with an estimated load relief of 350 MW to 935.94 MW.

Commission’s Analysis

The Commission approved the load management plan for industrial, town, and rural feeders, as well as feeders under the Advanced Distribution Management System, as submitted.

For agricultural feeders, it approved load management for six hours per day but rejected a fixed 17:00 to 23:00 schedule. It directed that load management hours be aligned with state peak demand and vary across seasons. It also directed that the six-hour period be split into two parts within a day.

The Commission directed that solarized pump feeders under Component C of the KUSUM program be allowed to inject power during periods of solar generation.

It also directed the establishment of centralized load management centers to monitor state peak demand and agricultural load in real time and manage operations accordingly.

The Commission stated that load management must be used during emergency conditions and directed the utility to address transmission capacity, network access, and system constraints to enable full drawal from the interstate transmission system.

Recently, CSERC notified the Framework for Resource Adequacy Regulations, 2026, establishing a comprehensive planning mechanism to integrate renewable energy and battery storage to ensure a reliable electricity supply.

Subscribe to Mercom’s real-time Regulatory Updates to ensure you don’t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.