The Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) has issued AERC (Deviation Settlement Mechanism and related matters) Regulations, 2018 to maintain grid discipline and security in the state.
These regulations will be applicable on all types of open access such as short-term open access (STOA), medium-term open access (MTOA), long-term open access (LTOA), consuming and wheeling power within and outside the state though third-party or captive mode.
The key features of these regulations are:
- Deviation settlement mechanism will be applicable to all buyers of renewable power including discoms, deemed licensees and open access consumers in Assam.
- Deviation charges for settlement of open access consumers connected to intrastate transmission system and to distribution network will be as per the AERC (terms and conditions for open access), 2018.
- The scheduling period will comprise 96 time blocks, each of 15-minute duration.
- The first time block of the scheduling period will commence from 00:00 hours (IST) to 00:15 hours (IST).
- All the sellers and buyers will be governed by the scheduling and dispatch procedure to be formulated by the state SLDC in accordance with provisions of AERC (Electricity Grid Code) Regulations, 2018.
- No deviation will be allowed beyond the specified operating range of frequency band. The preparation and settlement of state deviation pool accounts will be undertaken on weekly basis.
- Any infirm injection of power by a generating station before the commercial date of operation (COD) will be exempted from the volume limit, as specified by the AERC, for a period not exceeding 6 months or as per the extended time allowed by AERC.
- Any drawal of power by a generating station prior to COD of a unit for the startup activities will also be exempted from the volume limit. Moreover, any drawal of power by a generating station before its COD for the startup activities will be exempted from the levy of additional charges of deviation.
- The payment of charges for deviation will have a high priority and the concerned state entity will have to pay the indicated amounts within 10 days of the issue of statement by SLDC.