MNRE Formalises Amendments to RTC RE Power Procurement Guidelines

• MNRE has passed amendments to the guidelines for procurement of RTC RE power, enhanced with power from any other resource or storage.

The Ministry of New and also Renewable Energy (MNRE), in a Gazetted notice, has passed a resolution with the amendments to the guidelines for tariff-based competitive bidding process for procurement of Round-The-Clock (RTC) power from grid-connected renewable resource (RE) power projects, enhanced with power from any other source or storage.

The guidelines were originally issued in July 2020, for the procurement of RTC power from grid-connected RE projects, which were to be complemented with power from coal-based thermal power projects. The guidelines were later changed in November 2020, by the Ministry of Power.

The key amendment made to the guidelines was the official introduction of "power from any other resource or storage" into the guidelines to change the unidirectional technique of packing renewable resource with only thermal power.

The current notification from the MNRE has better cleared up that 'renewable resource (RE) power' wherever made use of in the guidelines, shall refer to power from solar power creating systems, wind power producing systems, or a mix thereof, with or without Energy Storage Solution (ESS), appointed in pursuance of bidding process under these guidelines.

" It is clarified that ESS billed using a source apart from RE power would certainly not certify as RE power. Better, the ESS provided with a project under these guidelines should only be charged from RE power capability. The very same RE power shall either be considered for getting payment in case of curtailment or for billing of ESS," the MNRE alert mentioned.

The Power Ministry amendments in November 2020 had mentioned that under the crucial purpose of the scheme for RTC renewable power i.e. the growths in the renewable resource field as well as the necessity to attend to the concerns of intermittency, minimal hrs of supply as well as low capacity exercise of transmission infrastructure presents a case for-- packing, where firm power from any other source or storage is packed with renewable energy and also provided continuous to the circulation company (Discom).

Furthermore, regarding the arrangement of Force Majeure, it has also been mentioned that the "PPA ought to contain provisions with regard to Force Majeure meanings, exemptions, applicability as well as available relief on account of force majeure as per the Industry Standards. The Generator shall intimate the procurer regarding the incident of force majeure within 15 days of the begin of the force majeure as well as the procurer will take a decision on his claim within 15 days of the receipt of the intimation."

An additional vital amendment in the earlier notification from the power ministry was the shift from composite tariff to heavy typical levelised tariff as the bidding specification. It has actually been determined that the bidding process examination specification shall be the weighted average levelised tariff each supply of RTC power. The Procurer will welcome proposals in which the bidder shall estimate the first year weighted typical levelised Tariff in Rs/kWh.