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The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has ordered its electricity distribution company to respond to its suo moto proceedings about meeting renewable purchase obligation (RPO) targets as per regulations.
The respondents involved electricity distribution companies in the state; Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited, Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited, Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited, Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited, Kanpur Electricity Supply Company Limited, Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL), and the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).
The commission had directed the UPPCL and the NPCL to submit their roadmap plans in achieving their RPO shortfalls early <a href="https://mercomindia.com/uttar-pradesh-3-2-gw-solar-march-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this year</a>.
For UPPCL, the commission has asked for the roadmap up to FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22, while NPCL submitted that it would achieve its FY 2017-18 shortfall by March 2019. The commission has directed NPCL to submit reports every quarter to the commission. The commission noted the cumulative shortfall (Upto November 2018-2019) for solar to be 3,993.69 MU while for non-solar it was 4,259.52 MU.
The commission also noted that there was no submission of long-term RPO growth trajectory made either by UPPCL or NPCL for FY2019-20 and FY 2021-22, as stipulated by the Ministry of Power.
In UPPCL’s case, the commission’s order has also pointed out that there was no mention of the non-solar power to be purchased in the submissions from FY 2019-20 onwards. Considering this, it has directed UPPCL to submit a plan of achieving the shortfall made in the previous years in three weeks.
The <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ministry-of-power-sets-solar-rpo-fy-2019-20/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ministry for Power</a> set solar RPO for FY 2019-2020 at 7.25 percent and non-solar RPO at 10.25 percent. To ensure compliance, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="http://mnre.gov.in" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MNRE</a>) also created an <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-creates-rpo-compliance-cell/">RPO Compliance</a> Cell. Though RPO is the single most important policy driving renewable energy installations in India, RPO compliance has not been up to the mark. Few states and union territories strictly <a href="https://mercomindia.com/states-new-solar-rpo-target/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">adhere</a> to RPO compliance. States like <a href="https://mercomindia.com/maharashtra-tough-on-solar-non-solar-rpo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Maharashtra</a> have taken a tough stance on RPO enforcement, and it remains to see if other states will follow.

Uttar Pradesh DISCOMs Ordered to Submit Roadmap for Solar and Non-Solar RPO Fulfilment

The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="http://uperc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPERC</a>) has initiated a Suo-moto proceeding to review the fulfillment of renewable purchase obligations (RPO) by the obligated entities.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (<a href="http://upenergy.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPPCL</a>), on behalf of its subsidiaries, had submitted the details of power procurement under both solar and non-solar renewable sources up to FY 2015-16 but no information for FY 2015-16 FY 2017-18 was shared with the commission.
The commission has asked the UPPCL in its order dated August 8, 2018, to submit a roadmap for meeting the backlog of RPOs for FY 2015-16 to FY 2017-18.
Later, the Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL) submitted the roadmap to fulfill its backlog of RPOs until FY 2017-18 by the end of March 2019. The commission has accepted the NPCL ‘s plan and asked to submit its progress report every quarter with the Commission.
UPPCL has also submitted its roadmap for fulfilling RPO target up to FY 2021-2022 in a recent hearing with UPERC on February 20, 2019.
In terms of wind power, UPPCL has entered into long term arrangement for 1340 MW of wind power from outside the state as it is available at a reasonable tariff.
As per the details submitted to the Commission, the total non-solar capacity commissioned up to October 31, 2018, was 1320.10 MW.  It is expected to add 618.2 MW of additional non-solar capacity by the end of 2018-19, 254.95 MW by 2019-20, and 709 MW by 2020-21.
The commission finds that the remaining RPO can be fulfilled by solar power. In order to achieve it, the UPPCL has entered into several long-term contracts to procure power at inter-state and intra-state level. At present, functional solar capacity in the state is 872 MW, which is excluding rooftop solar.
UPPCL gave a road map of the expected solar capacity additions in the upcoming years. 225 MW would be added in 2018-19, 1300 MW in 2019-20, and 1632 MW by 2020-21, taking the total solar capacity to 4029 MW.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Total-Grid-Connected-Solar-Capacity-Expected-Upto-2021-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12847" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Total-Grid-Connected-Solar-Capacity-Expected-Upto-2021-1.png" alt="" width="223" height="177" /></a>
The Commission feels that UPPCL has made a concerted effort to meet the RPO targets, but it has not been successful in achieving the goal. However, with the new capacity to be added in the upcoming years, it would be able to reach the target.
The Commission also asked the UPPCL to submit its long-term growth trajectory of RPO for solar and non-solar for a period of three years, 2019-20 to 2021-22, in three weeks.
In November 2018, <a href="http://uperc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPERC</a> accepted the submissions made by <a href="http://www.noidapower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NPCL</a> about the fulfillment of past RPOs. According to NPCL, the company fulfilled RPO obligation to the tune of 193.68 million units (MUs) up to March 31, 2018, which leaves a balance of 359.46 MUs to be fulfilled by FY 2018-19. Out of this capacity, the share of solar will be 57.72 MUs while non-solar will be 301.74 MUs.

Uttar Pradesh Targets 3.2 GW of Solar Power by March 2021

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					</table>The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="http://uperc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPERC</a>) has accepted the submissions made by Noida Power Company Limited (<a href="http://www.noidapower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NPCL</a>) pertaining to the fulfilment of past renewable purchase obligations (RPO). NPCL’s submissions came after the UPERC had initiated suo moto proceedings in the matter of RPO targets by the obligated entities.
UPERC initiated the proceedings after Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (<a href="http://upenergy.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPPCL</a>) failed to submit required information regarding the procurement of renewable energy for the financial year (FY) 2016-17 and FY 2017-18.
UPERC had directed both UPPCL and NPCL to submit a roadmap to meet the backlog of unfulfilled RPO. In response, UPPCL asked for three weeks’ time which was duly granted. Meanwhile, NPCL submitted its roadmap to fulfill the unmet RPO.
According to NPCL, the company fulfilled RPO obligation to the tune of 193.68 million units (MUs) up to March 31, 2018, which leaves a balance of 359.46 MUs to be fulfilled by FY 2018-19. Out of this capacity, the share of solar will be 57.72 MUs while non-solar will be 301.74 MUs.
NPCL has achieved non-solar RPO obligation of 147.38 MUs up to August 31, 2018. To meet the RPO, NPCL will procure 141.72 MUs through contracts during September 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. NPCL will also procure 12.64 MUs of non-solar energy on day-ahead basis up to March 31, 2019.
To fulfil solar RPO, NPCL will procure 0.40 MUs from captive solar projects, 32.18 MUs from interstate sources through short-term open access (STOA). Solar power generated through net-metered consumers amounting to 23.90 MUs and solar power from Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) amounting to 1.24 MUs will be considered for the RPO fulfilment.
UPERC has also directed NPCL to submit quarterly updates on the RPO fulfilment.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/uttar-pradesh-net-metering-solar-rooftop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recently</a>, UPERC also issued new regulations for net metering provisions for rooftop solar projects in the state.
In June, the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ministry-of-power-sets-solar-rpo-fy-2019-20/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry for Power</a> set solar RPO for FY 2019-2020 at 7.25 percent and non-solar RPO at 10.25 percent. To ensure compliance, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="http://mnre.gov.in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) created a <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-creates-rpo-compliance-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RPO Compliance</a> Cell early this year. Though RPO is the single most important policy driving renewable energy installations in India, RPO compliance has not been up to the mark. Few states and union territories strictly <a href="https://mercomindia.com/states-new-solar-rpo-target/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adhere</a> to RPO compliance. States like <a href="https://mercomindia.com/maharashtra-tough-on-solar-non-solar-rpo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maharashtra</a> have taken a tough stance on RPO enforcement and it remains to see if other states follow.

Noida Power Company’s Roadmap for Solar and Non-Solar RPO Fulfilment Gets its Go-Ahead

The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has invited bids for 550 MW of grid connected solar PV power projects through tariff based competitive bidding process.
The last date for bid submission is November 14, 2018.
A UPNEDA official confirmed the issue of the solar tender to Mercom, adding, &#8220;In this 550 MW tender, 500 MW will be bought by Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (UPPCL) and 50 MW will be bought by Noida Power Company Ltd. (NPCL)”.
“We have also put a ceiling tariff of ₹3.10/kWh(~$0.042/kWh),” added the official.
Mercom previously reported that the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="http://www.uperc.org/Default2.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPERC</a>) approved a request for the procurement (RfP) and a PPA for 500 MW of grid-connected solar projects put forth by the <a href="http://upneda.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPNEDA</a>.
UPNEDA had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/upper-tariff-ceiling-3-25-upneda-solar-500-mw/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sought approval</a> of ceiling tariff of ₹3.25 (~$0.044)/kWh for the tender along with the revised RfP and PPA. Upper tariff ceiling was set to be ₹3.25 (~$0.044)/kWh if safeguard duty is included, and if not included, the tariff ceiling will be ₹3.10 (~$0.0424)/kWh.
The minimum capacity for each solar power project will be 5 MW. Any bidder can apply for a minimum of 5 MW and a maximum of 550 MW. The power purchase agreement (PPA) will be signed for a period of 25 years with a single fixed tariff.
In case of projects being set up in Bundelkhand and Purvanchal region of the state, government will provide the subsidy per kilometer based on the lengths of the transmission as per the Solar Energy Policy of Uttar Pradesh 2017.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/upneda-solar-auction-500-mw-l1-tariff-3-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recently</a>, Mercom reported that the Lowest (L1) tariff of ₹3.17 (~$0.043) was quoted in the recent solar auction held by the <a href="http://upneda.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPNEDA</a> for 500 MW of grid-connected solar projects.
Image credit: MMEPL

Uttar Pradesh Comes up with a 550 MW Solar Tender

The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="http://uperc.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPERC</a>) has rejected a petition filed by Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL) seeking to select an Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contractor to develop an 8 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the Jaun Samana village in Greater Noida, believing it could develop the project through SECI at a lower tariff.
In June 2017, UPERC had given its permission to NPCL to procure up to 16 million units (MU) per annum of solar power for a 25-year period from the proposed 8 MW solar project being developed in the Jaun Samana village under the guidelines of the tariff-based competitive bidding process for grid-connected solar projects.
However, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) later conveyed that on the allotted land, NPCL needs to set up its own solar power project, which will be completely owned by NPCL.
Following GNIDA’s advisory, NPCL decided to cancel the bidding process and instead engage an EPC contractor to develop the 8 MW solar PV project. NPCL then filed the petition to seek UPERC’s approval for selecting an EPC contractor.
In its order, the UPERC observed that NPCL could procure solar power through Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) projects. UPERC also questioned the need for NPCL to develop its own solar project when the most competitive solar power tariffs are quoted in auctions conducted by SECI.
UPERC has now asked NPCL to explore the possibility of procuring solar power from SECI. UPERC also asserted that NPCL will not be allowed to develop its own projects unless it can guarantee that the solar power rates will be lower than the rates quoted in SECI auctions.
Meanwhile, UPERC also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/uperc-adjourns-seci-azure-case-solar/">adjourned</a> a case relating to the petition filed by domestic renewable energy project developer <a href="https://www.azurepower.com/">Azure Power</a> for the extension of the scheduled commissioning date and construction of the evacuation system for a 40 MW solar power project in the state’s Jalaun district.

UPERC Rejects NPCL’s Petition Seeking EPC Developer for Solar Project in Greater Noida

NPCL Solar Energy Private Limited, a power supplier, has tendered an 8 MW solar project to be developed in Greater NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh. The bid-submission deadline is September 4, 2017.
The project will be developed on build own operate and transfer (BOOT) basis and this is an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract.
A NPCL executive told Mercom, “No benchmark cost has been set by us for this tender, we want the EPC contractors to give us the price so we are conducting auction for this project.” The power generated will be utilized by the company to supply to consumers in the area it operates, added the NPCL official.
Image credit: By Him2586, <a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GFDL</a> or <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramic_view_of_Greater_Noida.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>

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