Kerala State Electricity Board Limited plans premium tariff for green energy consumers – EQ Mag
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following the directive of Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission, state power utility Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEB) has submitted a proposal to it for the introduction of green energy tariff for consumers who wish to switch over to green energy, exploring the fresh relaxations announced by the Centre as per the Green Energy Open Access Rules.
KSEB has proposed Rs 2.54/kWh as the premium green tariff over existing retail tariff and all other charges as approved by the commission.
The green tariff will be revised annually, subject to the approval of the regulatory commission. The Union government had notified rules for the same in 2022 and amended the rules in January 2023.
KSEB in its tariff petition demanded Rs 1.52 as the baking/storage cost alone. “Consumers requiring green tariff may apply to KSEB one year in advance with the requirement and duration of supply. The consumers opting for green tariff shall avail it for a minimum of one year,” it said, adding that it was not possible to predict the sales quantum under this new category at present. However, KSEB would capture and present the impact of this new tariff category during the truing up petition for 2023-24, it said. Green energy open access is open to any consumer and the limit of the same has been reduced from 1 MW to 100 kW. The central rule amendment also empowered consumers to demand supply of green power from power utilities, holding them obliged to procure and supply green power to eligible consumers.
KSEB which listed out several practical difficulties in providing consumers with green energy, however, said a lot of consumers, especially in the commercial and industrial segments, are eager to switch over to renewable energy (RE) for a rapid transition to a zero-carbon economy. Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) is one such consumer, KSEB said in its petition to the commission.
For supplying exclusive round-the-clock green energy for consumers, the licensee would incur additional cost — for additional RE procurement as well as to handle the intermittent nature of RE. “There would be variation during a day between RE generation and consumption on a real time basis. Therefore, even if the quantum of RE generation and consumption is matching on a monthly basis, there would be additional cost implications on KSEB,” it said, justifying the Rs 2.54 green tariff it proposed to impose additionally on consumers who want to switch over to green energy.
Source: PTI
