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					</table><p><strong> </strong><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/aptel-power-generators-order-wind-companies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity has affirmed the rights of power generators Vaayu (India) Power Corporation and Vishwind Infrastructure</a> to terminate their power purchase agreements with the Southern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh (APSPDCL). The decision comes in the wake of APSPDCL’s persistent defaults on payment obligations, which were previously identified by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission. It also allowed the two wind energy generators to sell their power under open access arrangements.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/rajasthan-empanelment-tender-511-mw-rooftop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation has invited bids to empanel developers to install 511 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems on government buildings in the state.</a> Bids must be submitted by January 20, 2025. Bids will be opened on January 21. Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹870,000 (~$10,187)/MW of the quoted capacity. Small-scale industries must furnish an EMD of ₹217,500 (~$2,546)/MW.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ultratech-cement-to-source-wind-solar-hybrid-power-from-clean-max-sapphire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UltraTech Cement, an Aditya Birla Group company, has announced that it will source renewable energy in captive mode from CleanMax’s special-purpose vehicle (SPV), Clean Max Sapphire.</a> The company has entered energy supply, share subscription, and shareholders agreements to acquire a 26% equity share in Clean Max Sapphire, investing up to ₹457.6 million (~$5.3 million). The SPV will set up a 55 MW wind-solar hybrid project on a captive basis in Honawad in Vijayapur district, Karnataka to supply power to UltraTech Cement.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/waaree-energy-to-set-up-300-mw-electrolyzeser-and-3-5-gwh-lithium-ion-cell-manufacturing-projects-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Solar module manufacturer Waaree Energies has approved the establishment of a 300 MW electrolyzer and a 3.5 GWh lithium-ion Advanced Chemistry Storage Cell manufacturing plant.</a> The company will set up the electrolyzer manufacturing project under its subsidiary Waaree Clean Energy Solutions, utilizing ₹5.51 billion (~$64.75 million) in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and ₹2 billion (~$23.50 million) in investment. The project will be developed under the Production-Linked Incentive tender issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through the Solar Energy Corporation of India. The CAPEX will be funded by debt and internal accruals.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-develop-material-to-improve-efficiency-of-sodium-ion-batteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Researchers from the Canepa Research Laboratory at the University of Houston, in collaboration with French institutions</a>, have developed a new material – sodium vanadium phosphate (NAxV₂(PO₄)₃), that improves the energy density of sodium-ion (Na-ion ) batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for sustainable and cost-effective energy storage. Sodium vanadium phosphate offers a higher operating voltage of 3.7 volts than the conventional 3.37 volts in existing materials. The increased voltage results in a 15% improvement in energy density, growing from 396 Wh/kg to 485 Wh/kg.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Upholds Wind Power Firms’ Right to Terminate PPAs


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					</table><p>The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (<a href="https://aptel.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APTEL</a>) has set aside Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (<a href="http://mperc.in/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MPERC</a>) order upholding the state-owned distribution company’s (DISCOM) move to levy an additional surcharge on the charges on wheeling even for consumers using captive generation and their dedicated transmission lines.</p>
<p>The Tribunal heard five petitions on the issue. Three petitions against the Commission’s order, which were disposed of, belonged to subsidiaries of <a href="https://www.ultratechcement.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ultratech Cement</a> in Madhya Pradesh</p>
<p>However, the Tribunal asked the Commission to reconsider two other petitions where it was not certain that the dedicated transmission lines used by consumers were not reliant on DISCOM’s infrastructure in some form.</p>
<p>One of these petitions was filed by an Ultratech Cement subsidiary, and the other by Prism Cement.</p>
<p><strong>Background</strong></p>
<p>Ultratech Cement owns three manufacturing units &#8212; Vikram Cement Works, Dhar Cement Works, and Maihar Cement Works. All the units are fed by captive generation plants (CGPs), some of which are owned by Ultratech.</p>
<p>One of the subsidiaries procures power under captive open access mode from a project with Amplus Sunshine as the majority shareholder.</p>
<p>These three units had filed four petitions challenging the state Commission’s order.</p>
<p>Cement producer Prism Johnson, a cement manufacturer in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, filed the fifth petition. It also procures power under the captive open access route from a generation unit set up by BLA Power. Prism owns 30.46% of the plant and procures more than 51% of the production.</p>
<p>The state DISCOM had demanded payment of an additional surcharge against captive consumption from the cement manufacturers.</p>
<p>The consumers challenged it before the state Commission, which rejected the plea.</p>
<p>The Commission’s orders for the first three appeals of Ultratech were passed in May 2021.</p>
<p>The order under challenge at the Tribunal in the fourth appeal of Ultratech was delivered in November 2021 by the Commission.</p>
<p>The same Commission decided the case of Prism by an order in September 2021.</p>
<p><strong>Tribunal’s analysis</strong></p>
<p>The Tribunal observed no evidence that Ultratech Cement subsidiaries were using the transmission system of the distribution licensee to evacuate power from their CGPs for various manufacturing units.</p>
<p>It meant that a Supreme Court ruling in this regard could be squarely applied to the extant case, the order said.</p>
<p>“The levy and demand by the distribution licensee of additional surcharge on charges on wheeling under section 42(4) of Electricity Act, 2003, cannot be justified or upheld,” the court order said.</p>
<p>The Tribunal said the petitioners’ appeals must succeed, and consequentially the state Commission’s order was being set aside.</p>
<p>Further, the Tribunal said that two petitions, which did not make clear whether consumers were using their transmission infrastructure without being dependent on DISCOM, may stand on a different footing.</p>
<p>“We find some merit in the argument of the respondent that if the dedicated lines connecting the generating stations to the point of own use of the CGPs avail of the transmission/distribution line network or associated facilities, the claim of total exemption from levy of the additional surcharge under section 42(4) may have to be examined afresh in the light of the relevant law,” the order said.</p>
<p>The Tribunal added that while setting aside the order challenged in these two petitions, the matters were being remitted to the state Commission for fresh consideration.</p>
<p>In a recent order, APTEL ordered Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aptel-orders-tangedco-pay-developers-for-excess-power-consumed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compensate</a> solar developers for the access power consumed on account of a higher capacity utilization factor.</p>
<p>In another order, the Tribunal set aside Uttar Pradesh Commission’s ruling that <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aptel-favor-solar-developers-strikes-down-reduction-tariff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut</a> the tariff for solar developers, which was agreed upon earlier between the suppliers and the procurer. APTEL had called the Commission’s order arbitrary, unjust, and unlawful.</p>
<p>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.</p>


APTEL Cancels Additional Surcharge on Charges on Wheeling for Captive Power Consumers

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