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					</table>The Power Grid Corporation of India (<a href="https://www.powergrid.in/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POWERGRID</a>) has established a joint venture with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (<a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/rrvpn/#/home/dptHome">RRVPNL</a>) to develop Rajasthan’s intrastate transmission system.
The joint venture, Rajasthan Power Grid Transmission Company (RPTCL), aims to address the state’s growing energy needs and ensure a more reliable and robust electricity distribution network.
RPTCL has been created with a fully subscribed and paid-up authorized share capital of ₹500,000 (~$6,083). POWERGRID will have 74% ownership, which includes the subscription of 37,000 shares at a face value of ₹10 (~$0.12) per share, while RVPN will hold the remaining 26%.
Last December, Rajasthan <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/rajasthan-clean-energy-policy-2030" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> its Integrated Clean Energy Policy, 2024, with an ambitious target of achieving 125,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by the financial year 2030. The plan includes installing a capacity of 90,000 MW of solar power, 25,000 MW of wind and hybrid energy, and 10,000 MW of hydro, pumped storage, and battery energy storage systems.
Last August, Rajasthan became the first Indian state to achieve more than 50% solar in its total installed power capacity, according to Mercom’s <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-project-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Project Tracker</a>. The state has approximately 23 GW of solar capacity, representing 51% of its total installed power capacity. Solar energy also dominates Rajasthan’s renewable portfolio, accounting for 76% of its total installed renewable energy capacity.
In November 2024, POWERGRID and Dineshchandra R. Agarwal Infracon <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pgcil-and-draipl-bag-3-5-gw-renewable-energy-transmission-project-in-rajasthan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> Parts A and B of REC Power Development and Consultancy’s transmission project to evacuate 3.5 GW of power from Rajasthan’s renewable energy zone.
In the same month, POWERGRID <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/powergrid-tenders-solar-powered-green-hydrogen-plant-in-rajasthan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to establish a solar-powered green hydrogen plant and fuel cell-based microgrid system at the 400/220 kV Neemrana substation in Rajasthan.
Recently, POWERGRID <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/powergrid-to-raise-%E2%82%B942-5-billion-via-bonds-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the issuance of bonds worth up to ₹42.5 billion (~$499.62 million) on a private placement basis. The 80th issue of POWERGRID bonds (2024–25) comes with a base size of ₹10 billion (~$117.56 million) and a greenshoe option of ₹32.5 billion (~$382.07 million).

POWERGRID Forms Joint Venture to Augment Rajasthan’s Transmission Network

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					</table>The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://rerc.rajasthan.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RERC</a>), in a recent order, has rejected the compensation claims by a solar developer for losses incurred due to voltage fluctuations and directed them to make necessary arrangements for injecting or withdrawing reactive power per the regulations outlined by the Central Electricity Authority (<a href="https://cea.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CEA</a>).
The Commission also directed the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (<a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/rrvpn/#/home/dptHome" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RVPN</a>), the state load dispatch center (<a href="https://sldc.rajasthan.gov.in/rrvpnl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SLDC</a>), and the solar developers to take appropriate and necessary action to maintain the grid voltage within the operating limits for 200 MW (2*100 MW) solar power projects at the Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan.
ACME Jodhpur Solar Power, ACME Rewa Solar Energy, and <a href="https://www.acmesolar.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ACME Solar Holding</a> had filed a petition with the Commission requesting it to direct the respondents to comply with the Grid Code and take measures to overcome the issue of consistent voltage tripping at the 220 kV Bhadla substation and compensate the petitioners toward the loss of revenue.
The respondents included RVPN, SLDC, <a href="https://sauryaurja.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan</a>, <a href="https://nrldc.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Regional Load Despatch Center</a>, <a href="http://164.100.60.165/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Regional Power Committee</a>, and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (<a href="https://www.seci.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SECI</a>).
Background 
ACME Solar Holding formed two special purpose vehicles (SPVs), namely ACME Jodhpur Solar Power and ACME Rewa Solar Energy, for the development of a 100 MW solar power project by each SPV at the Bhadla Solar Park, Phase-III in Rajasthan.
The projects supply power through a dedicated line connected to the Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan’s 33/200 kV pooling substation, which is the interconnection point of the projects with the grid.
The pooling substation is connected to RVPN’s 400/220 kV grid substation through two 220 kV transmission lines.
The solar developers, in their submission, said since 2018, they had encountered severe voltage fluctuations at the Bhadla substation, resulting in abnormal tripping of solar inverters, damage to electrical components, and reduced power generation. The continuous under-voltage problems had hampered the generation process, preventing it from reaching its maximum capacity.
The petitioners contended that the grid disruptions and low voltage incidents at the Bhadla substation resulted from the absence of a secure and dependable transmission system, which was the responsibility of RVPN and SLDC.
However, despite repeated requests and acknowledgment of such events of grid disturbances involving voltage tripping, RVPN, and SLDC had failed to undertake measures to resolve such issues.
The petitioners had engaged Hitachi Energy India to conduct the steady state analysis and determine the cause for under voltage. According to Hitachi, the cause of the constant tripping was due to issues at the Bhadla grid substation.
Following this, RVPN officially approved installing a 500 MVAr transformer at the 400 kV Bhadla grid substation. However, despite receiving authorization in August 2022, there has been no progress on installing the transformer and STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator).
In response, RVPN explained that some tripping had occurred on the 220 kV line 1 (from the Pooling substation to the RVPN Bhadla substation) due to the activation of under-voltage protection by the Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan. As of September 8, 2022, full solar generation had been recorded, and no further incidents of under-voltage tripping were observed.
RVPN also mentioned that on numerous occasions, the generator failed to provide reactive power to support the grid. Instead of assisting the grid, the generator had drawn reactive power from the grid when the grid voltage was low.
Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan argued that considering the issues of over or under voltage on Line-01, the Commission should instruct RVPN to install STATCOM to enhance grid voltage during peak generation. This measure would prevent solar generators from experiencing energy losses and inverter tripping.
Furthermore, they requested the installation of two 25 MVAr shunt reactors to manage voltage conditions at the pooling substation connected to the main bus, with the associated development costs being covered by the solar power developers.
Commission’s analysis      
The Commission observed that the solar developers had raised the issue of grid disturbances at the Bhadla substation and requested a compensation of ₹58 million (~$697,177) for loss of revenue.
The Commission noted that dynamically varying reactive support by generators is necessary to ensure a reliable voltage level. Voltage and reactive power control significantly impact system stability, and an imbalance of reactive power, i.e., drawl during low voltage supply, can lead to voltage instability.
The state regulator noted that RVPN and Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan had reported that the real-time reactive power injection and absorption support from the generator during under or over-voltage conditions did not meet the requirements of the CEA regulations.
It also directed the RVPN to commission the sanctioned +300MVAR, 400 kV STATCOM at 400 kV GSS Bhadla, and +100MVAR, 220 kV STATCOM at 220 kV GSS Phalodi.
It noted that the grid voltage should remain within the operating limits as specified in the CEA regulations, and the responsibility to maintain the grid voltage pertained to the solar developers, Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan, RVPN, and SLDC.
In light of this, the Commission instructed the solar developers to establish suitable arrangements for injecting or withdrawing reactive power per the regulations outlined by the CEA.
According to the CEA, the generating station must be capable of supplying dynamically varying reactive power support to maintain power factor within the limits of 0.95 lagging to 0.95 leading.
As the petitioner shared most of the responsibility in this matter, compensation could not be awarded to the developers.
In June this year, CEA <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/renewable-developers-must-comply-connectivity-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directed</a> renewable energy developers who have applied for connectivity until April 30, 2023, to comply with CEA Connectivity Regulations by September 30 or face disconnection.
Lately, Mercom <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/reactive-power-support-renewables-to-prevent-blackouts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penned</a> an article discussing the crucial aspects of grid safety, emphasizing the necessity of compensating for reactive power (grid inertia) and maintaining voltage stability.
Subscribe to Mercom’s real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates </a>to ensure you don’t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.

Rajasthan Rejects Solar Developer’s Compensation Claims for Grid Fluctuations

<a href="http://www.sjvn.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SJVN Limited</a>, a joint venture between the center and the government of Himachal Pradesh, has invited bids to purchase 1,500 acres of land for setting up solar power projects in Rajasthan.
The land should have chain link fencing on its periphery. It should be located within 20 km from the Rajasthan Vidyut Prasaran Nigam’s (RVPN) state transmission utility grid substation.
The last date to submit the bids online is November 23, 2020, and the pre-bid meeting will take place on November 06, 2020.
Interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹1.18 million (~$15,883) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).
To participate in the competitive bidding process, the bidder should have completed one assignment of at least 500 acres of land in Rajasthan against a single contract in the last five years.
As per the technical criteria, the bidder can quote a higher land area than 1,500 acres. However, SJVN will hold the right to purchase the land over or lesser than the 1,500 acres out of the total land offered.
As per the tender documents, the land offered must not be at a distance of more than 20 km from the grid substation. The land offered must be a single connected patch, and the minimum width of the offered land at any place within the patch should be 500 meters and must have a front of minimum 500-meter width with any metaled or bituminous road. The land offered must have average annual global horizontal irradiation of at least 1800 kWh/m2.
Solar tenders issued by all government and private entities can be accessed by subscribing to Mercom’s India Solar <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tender Tracker</a>.
A few months ago, SJVN had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sjvn-seeks-to-buy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited</a> expressions of interest for shortlisting suitable land to develop 500 MW of solar projects in Rajasthan. SJVN requires 3,000 acres of land to develop the Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Project. For this, it had invited proposals from landowners, farmers, cooperative societies, and land aggregators willing to sell land on an outright basis or long-term lease of 28 years.
Recently, SJVN <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sjvn-epc-tender-solar-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited</a> tenders for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of a 100 MW solar project at the Raghanesda Solar Park (Phase X) in Gujarat.
Earlier, it had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sjvn-solar-hydro-projects-acquisition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> a notice inviting expressions of interest from interested parties to offer their solar and hydropower projects for acquisition by SJVN. To increase its geostrategic reach, SJVN is planning to acquire hydro and solar power projects in Indian states under various stages of operation &amp; maintenance, construction, and survey &amp; investigation.

SJVN Issues Tender to Purchase 1,500 Acres of Land for Solar Projects in Rajasthan

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://rerc.rajasthan.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RERC</a>) has asked a textile company to pay the transmission charges, and the state load despatch center (SLDC) charges amounting to ~₹14 million (~$187,357) to Rajasthan Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (<a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/rvpnl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RVPN</a>).
The Commission asked Kishangarh Hi-Tech Textiles Park Limited to make the payment within 30 days, including a late payment surcharge (LPS). The Commission added that the DISCOM could allow Kishangarh Textiles to pay the outstanding amount in installments and provide reconnection to the generating project if requested.
Background
The state DISCOM had filed a petition seeking the recovery of transmission charges, SLDC fees, and other charges from Kishangarh Textiles Park Limited.
The company had set up a wind energy-based power projects of 8.4 (4&#215;2.1) MW capacity at Habur village in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. It was connected to RVPN’s 220 kV grid substation at Amarsagar through a common pooling substation of Suzlon Infrastructure Services Limited.
A wheeling agreement was executed between RVPN, Kishangarh Textiles, and Suzlon Infrastructure Services Limited on December 20, 2010.
RVPN, in its submission, had said that the generator had failed to make payment of ₹14.5 million (~$194,049) towards transmission charges, incentives, LPS charges, and ₹1.7 million (~$22,750) towards SLDC fee from March 2018 to June 2019.
The SLDC, on request of the DISCOM, stopped the scheduling of power to the wind power project from November 02, 2018.
A disconnection notice was sent to Kishangarh Textiles, asking it to make the payment towards outstanding dues within 15 days, failing which, the project would be disconnected from the state grid. As the generator failed to deposit the due amount within the prescribed time limit, the wind power project was disconnected from the pooling station on December 20, 2018.
RVPN, in its submission, noted that it had received an amount of ₹4.3 million (~$57,545) through intercompany transfer from Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (<a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/energy-department/avvnl/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AVVNL</a>). So, the total outstanding amount towards transmission charges and SLDC charges, including a late payment surcharge, were ₹11.8 million (~$157,915) and ₹1.9 million (~$25,427), respectively.
Kishangarh Textiles argued from December 2010 to March 2014; it continued to run the wind project through open access without any obstructions. Then, came the tariff regulations, 2014, and the open access regulations, 2016, which imposed wheeling charges on the contracted capacity. Because of this, the open access wind project lost its significance and was closed down in December 2018.
The generator further stated that the amount claimed was for the period from March 2018 to December 2018 when the wind power project was not in operation, and there was no use of the transmission system. Therefore, RVPN had no authority to issue any bill against the transmission charges.
The generator had to receive a sum of ₹4.3 million (~$57,545) against the banking of energy for the period from June 2018 to December 2018 from the Ajmer DISCOM. Instead of taking a refund of ₹4.3 million (~$57,545), it had requested both the DISCOM to adjust the amount.
The Commission noted that Kishangarh Textiles had not made the payment of transmission charges and SLDC charges, including the late payment surcharge amounting to ₹11.8 million (~$157,915) and ₹1.9 million (~$25,427), respectively.
The Commission did not find any merit in the argument put forth by the petitioner.
It also stated that the transmission and wheeling charges should be payable based on open access capacity contracted or open access capacity utilized, whichever is higher. The Commission added that transmission and wheeling charges would be levied based on the capacity contracted and not on the energy injected. Stating this, it ordered the petitioner to submit the due amount to the DISCOM.
In March this year, RERC <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rajasthan-captive-solar-standard-transmission-wheeling-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">came out</a> with a suo-moto order regarding the directives issued by the state government for the banking of power, transmission and wheeling charges, power projects with storage systems, and rooftop solar projects. The Commission stated that it had introduced the banking facility for renewable energy projects in its earlier regulations. Under the existing regulations, banking is allowed only for the captive consumer. However, according to the policy directive, the banking facility has been extended to the third-party sale also. The Commission stated that the policy directions of the state government regarding annual banking need to be taken into consideration by the DISCOMs.
Last year, the state <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rajasthan-solar-policy-target-achieving-25gw-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">launched</a> its Solar Energy Policy 2019. The policy aims to deploy 25 GW of solar energy capacity in the state by 2020-2021 and 50 GW over the next 5-6 years to meet the renewable purchase obligations of distribution companies.

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