The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has issued a common order with respect to five separate petitions which were filed by Ghatge Patil Industries Limited, Liberty Oil Mills Limited, Siddhayu Ayurvedic Research Foundation, Peethambra Granites Private Limited, and Aquapharm Chemicals Private Limited.

Broadly, all the petitions were filed because of a dispute regarding the denial of short-term open access (STOA) and medium-term open access (MTOA) by Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited  (MSEDCL) citing the non-installation of individual special energy meters for their captive windmill/generator units.

According to the petitions, these companies which were consuming power generated from captive wind energy projects through open access were mandated by MSEDCL to install the meters for their respective power projects.

However, due to delays on MSEDCL’s end for giving approval, the petitioners could not install the smart meters timely. Following this, the petitioners were denied open access permissions from May 2019.

Further, the petitioners also requested the commission to order MSEDCL to compensate them with credit notes for the energy generated which could not be procured in the absence of open access permissions.

The commission has allowed the petitioners to be granted open access permissions. The MERC also directed the MSEDCL to issue generation credit notes and adjust them in the ensuing bills of the petitioners within a month from the order date.

The commission directed the petitioners to be fully prepared for the installation of smart meters at each individual energy generating unit within a period of six months.

Recently, the state DISCOM was also ordered to settle all the accumulated dues of wind generators.

Then in May 2019, Mercom had reported that MERC reprimanded MSEDCL for the continued delay in meeting payment obligations to independent power producers, including delayed payment charge, and for disregarding the previous orders of the commission.