The Ministry of Power (MoP) has notified the renewable purchase obligation (RPO) and energy storage obligation (ESO) upto fiscal year 2029-2030. According to this order, total prescribed RPO will progressively increase from 24.61 per cent in 2022-23 to 43.33 per cent by 2029-30. This includes wind RPO, hydropower purchase obligation (HPO) and other RPO. The MoP has stated that wind RPO will only be satisfied by energy generated by wind power projects that are operational after March 31, 2022. The HPO will only be fulfilled by electricity generated by large hydro projects, including pumped hydro, that are operational after March 8, 2019, and continue until March 31, 2030. Other RPOs can be satisfied using electricity generated by any renewable energy generating plant.
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission will construct a renewable energy certificate scheme for hydropower to ease HPO compliance with a capping price of Rs 5.50 per kWh from March 8, 2019, to March 31, 2021. Hydropower imported from abroad will not be counted toward HPO compliance. Any deficit in meeting Other RPO each year can be made up for the extra energy utilised by wind power plants completed after March 31, 2022. The government has also announced the proportion of total energy that solar and wind projects with storage can consume.
The ESO will be calculated in energy terms as a proportion of total electricity consumption and will be regarded as satisfied only when at least 85 per cent of total energy stored in the energy storage system is obtained from renewable energy sources each year. The prescribed storage obligation is 1 per cent in 2023-24 and increases up to 4 per cent in 2029-30.
