According to the Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023, users in Haryana with a contracted demand or sanctioned load of at least 100 kW will be eligible for Green Energy Open Access with no limit on electricity delivery for captive consumers. The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has announced regulations in accordance with the Union government’s green energy open access norms. To be eligible, consumers must commit to at least twelve 15-minute time blocks each day and cannot adjust the amount of power consumed during open access. Consumers desiring open access must have time-block-wise energy metering and accounting technology installed at their premises, and those linked to an independent feeder emerging from a grid substation are eligible. This is subject to the State Nodal Agency approving all applications for open access to green energy within thirty days.
A group of two or more consumers connected to a licensee’s distribution system at 11 kV or higher may also be eligible for open access if all consumers apply collectively and have the requisite metering and accounting infrastructure. Consumers who are not served by independent feeders will have open access subject to system constraints and power cut restrictions imposed by the distribution licensee. Underdrawn power owing to power cut limits, on the other hand, will not be compensated. Consumers who have unpaid bills for more than two months, have an ongoing case of unauthorised use of energy/theft of electricity, or have been declared insolvent or bankrupt are not eligible for open access. The overall drawal from open access and the distribution licensee must be limited to the total sanctioned contract demand, with a maximum allowable drawal in any time block during the day for green energy open access consumers.
The regulations allow captive producing plants based on renewable energy to bank power up to their contract demand for captive/own usage by paying banking fees as well as transmission and distribution losses. The power that has been banked must be used within the same billing cycle and cannot be carried over to the next cycle. Green Energy Open Access customers cannot bank more than 30 per cent of their entire monthly use from the distribution licensee.
During peak load hours, no banked power can be drawn. Transmission charges, wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge, standby charges where applicable, banking charges, application fees/SLDC fees/charges, scheduling charges, deviation settlement charges and reactive energy charges will be levied on green energy open access consumers.
