The Assam Electricity Regulatory Authority (AERC) has issued amendments to the AERC (Terms and Conditions for Open Access) Regulations, 2024. A key change clarifies that consumers with a contracted demand or sanctioned load of 100 kW and above, either through a single connection or multiple connections applying through a lead green energy open access (GEOA) consumer, within the same electricity division of a distribution licensee, will be eligible for GEOA. The amendments further specify that there is no load limit for consumers using green energy for captive purposes under GEOA. Additionally, the GEOA consumers must maintain a fixed level of power consumption for a minimum of 12-time blocks of 15 minutes each.
The regulations also permit consumers connected through a dedicated or common feeder, regardless of their supply voltage, to avail open access, provided there are no operational constraints. Additionally, consumers connected by common feeder shall be required to fulfill the criteria for energy accounting and system operation as provided by the state nodal agency.
Furthermore, consumers connected to common feeders can avail open access if they agree to any restrictions imposed by the licensee, state transmission utility, or state load dispatch centre. Applicants seeking open access must also upgrade existing energy meters, if required, at their own expense.
