In a suo motu order, the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) announced the completion of new regulations covering Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) for entities with obligations in the state. The decision comes after the Ministry of Power recently established RPO trajectories for several clean energy sources. Notably, new regulations advocate for the mandatory inclusion of energy storage systems.
RERC has issued RERC (Renewable Purchase Obligation), Regulations, 2023. The regulations will come into effect on April 1, 2024. These regulations will be applicable to electricity distribution companies, open access consumers, and captive power plant entities with an installed capacity of 1 MW or more. Besides, renewable purchase obligation (RPO), these regulations have also notified energy storage obligation for the period 2024-25 to 2029-30.
Under the new RPO targets, specific obligations have been set for wind energy and hydro energy, while solar and biomass fall under the broader category of ‘other RPO.’ The regulations stipulate that obligated entities must achieve a total RPO of 29.91 percent by 2024-25, with a further increase to 43.33 percent by the end of 2029-30.
Additionally, the regulations introduce Energy Storage Obligations (ESO), with the RERC setting an energy-based storage requirement of 1.5 percent for 2024-25. This figure is expected to rise to 4 percent by 2029-30. Until April 1, 2024, compliance with RPOs and associated rules will be governed by the RERC (RPO) Regulations 2007 and other relevant regulations.
