Central Transmission Utility

Applicant for Connectivity:

• Any renewable energy generating station with installed capacity of 50 MW and above.

• Any renewable energy generating station of 5 MW capacity and above but less than 50 MW capacity, developed by a generating company in its existing generating station of 250 MW and above capacity based on thermal sources, or of 50 MW and above capacity based on renewable energy sources.

• Any renewable energy generating station with capacity of 5 MW and above but less than 50 MW, developed by a captive generating plant with 250 MW and above exportable capacity.

• Any company authorized by the central government or concerned state government as solar power park developer, wind power park developer, wind solar power park developer.

• Distribution licensee intending to avail supply for a minimum load of 250 MW.

• Consumer intending to avail supply for a minimum load of 250 MW. 

Applicant for General Network Access (GNA):

• Applicants eligible for connectivity.

• Any generating plant including captive generating plant, irrespective of installed capacity.

• State transmission utility (STU) on behalf of intra-state entities who intend to seek general network access (GNA) through STU (distribution licensees, consumers, embedded generators etc.).

• Any consumer.

• Distribution licensee.

Provided that –

• An applicant seeking GNA to the inter-state transmission system (ISTS) cannot apply for GNA without applying for connectivity to the inter-state transmission system or intra-state transmission system.

• An applicant already connected with the grid may apply for GNA for the connected amount without applying for connectivity.

• Existing long term customers of inter-state transmission system shall be deemed to be GNA customers, subject to fulfillment of certain conditions.  

• An applicant for connectivity may be connected to both inter-state transmission system and intra-state transmission system and will have to apply for connectivity for demarcated quantum to CTU and STU such that the total connectivity quantum equals installed capacity less auxiliary consumption.

• Commercial liability of generator, including captive generating plants (CGP) towards inter-state transmission system (ISTS), shall be corresponding to the quantum proposed to be evacuated through CTU network.

Non-refundable fee payable with the application. 

S.N.

Quantum of Power to be Injected into/drawn from ISTS

Fee (in Rs. Lakh)

Connectivity

GNA

1.        

Up to 100 MW

4

4

2.        

100 MW

6

6

3.        

500 MW

12

12

4.        

More than 1,000 MW

18

18

• Two-stage application procedure where at every stage the applicant should fulfill the necessary criteria and may apply together for the two stages or may apply for the second stage after getting through the first stage.

• Application for Stage-II shall be accompanied by a bank guarantee or Letter of Guarantee @ Rs.5 lakh/MW.

• Application for GNA shall be made within 6 months of grant of Stage-II connectivity failing which application for Stage-II connectivity shall be revoked.

• An applicant shall not be allowed physical connection without signing the connection agreement.

Stage-I Connectivity:

• Copy of Board Resolution.

• Project report.

• Site identification wherever undertaken.

• Status on submission of proposal for environmental clearance.

• Status on submission of proposal for forest clearance.

• Authorization issued by central government or state government.

Stage-II Connectivity:

• Financial closure of the project developer has been completed.

• Other than a merchant power plant:

  • Award of project through bidding by any entity for 50 MW or above.

  • Execution of long term PPA under the provisions of the Act for at least 50 MW.

• Merchant power plant:

  • Applicant has completed at least 50% Tower Erection of dedicated transmission line to connect to ISTS.

  • Applicant has installed switchgear and ICT at its pooling station.

• Operationalization of Connectivity shall be the date from which the generator shall be physically connected to the grid for drawal or injection of power.

• A generator shall apply for GNA two years prior to the expected date of commissioning of the project and shall provide updated progress status to the CTU through central repository.

• Projects under construction or seeking GNA for balance capacity may apply for GNA earlier than two years prior to the date of project commissioning.

• In case of early commission of systems, GNA may be operationalized prior to the date GNA has been granted provided there is scope for accommodation in the system.

• An applicant may seek GNA in a phased manner matching with the commissioning schedule of its generating units.

• In case of captive power plants (CPP) with co-located captive load, the CGP shall have option to take injection GNA corresponding to installed capacity, less normative auxiliary power consumption, less the captive load estimated by the CPP for the co-located captive plant. Where CGP is not located at the same place as captive load, the CGP may take injection GNA corresponding to the captive load to be met, and for any surplus power.

• The applicant shall apply for GNA with application fee and requisite documents within two and half years from the intimation date of grant of Stage–I connectivity.

• Any intra-state entity may apply for GNA to ISTS on its own or through the state transmission utility.

• In case of allocation of power to generating stations owned or controlled by the central government, the concerned generating company may make application on behalf of the allocates on the basis of their written authority for making the application, and the generating company will be responsible for facilitating the signing of agreement between the allocates and the CTU within the stipulated period.

• Concurrence of STU shall be obtained in advance if an intra-state entity is applying for GNA.

• An Access Bank Guarantee of Rs.10,00,000/MW of GNA sought, issued by a public sector bank or scheduled Indian bank, satisfying minimum capital adequacy requirement and having paid up capital (net of accumulated losses) of Rs.100 crore or above, or any foreign bank with overall international corporate rating or rating of long term debt not less than A – (A minus) or equivalent by reputed rating agency, in favor of “Central Transmission Utility”.

• Any required rectification as intimated by the CTU shall be made within one week from the date of intimation.

• If there is any change in the location of the applicant or the quantum of interchangeable power after submitting the application, it will be brought to the notice of the Nodal Agency, and after assessment, if the Nodal Agency thinks a change is required, it will ask the applicant to file a new application with fees and documents, and the earlier application will stand closed.

• A generating company after firming up the beneficiaries through signing of long or medium or short term Power Purchase Agreement(s) or Sale Purchase Agreement(s) shall be required to notify the same to the Nodal Agency along with the copy of the PPA.

• Applications received within a month shall be given priority over that received in the subsequent months, and applications for existing and under construction projects shall have priority over applications for new projects.

• The Access Bank Guarantee may be encashed by the Nodal Agency if:

  • The application is withdrawn by the applicant after 9 months of grant of GNA by the Nodal Agency.

  • The applicant fails to submit the extension letter of the earlier furnished bank guarantee at least 30 days prior to its expiry.

  • The GNA is relinquished. 

From last day of the month in which application was received:

• Stage-I of connectivity – 60 days.

• Stage-II of connectivity – 60 days.

• GNA 120 days where augmentation of transmission system is not required, otherwise 180 days.

• The GNA applicant will have to execute GNA Agreement with CTU within 30 days of grant of GNA or any extended period as may be allowed by CTU, failing which, the GNA shall be cancelled and 9/10ths of the Access Bank Guarantee shall be returned to the applicant.

• Specification shall be indicated by the CTU while granting connectivity.

• From switchyard of generating station to the pooling substation the transmission line shall be developed and owned by the applicant.

• After completion of the line it will be handed over to CTU for operation and maintenance against normative charges, as per CERC regulations.

• The distance between switchyard or pooling station of the generating station and pooling substation of transmission licensee shall not exceed 100 km.

• When the generating plant is connected with the intra-state or inter-state transmission system, the transmission line for connecting to the inter-state transmission system shall be constructed by generators and the transmission line for connecting to the intra-state transmission system shall be governed by respective state regulations.

• Where the dedicated transmission lines have already been constructed or are under construction by ISTS licensee, the transmission line charges shall be paid by the generator to the licensee from the date of commercial operationalization of the dedicated line till operationalization of GNA of the generating station. After operationalization of GNA, payment of transmission charges shall be governed by CERC (sharing of inter-state transmission charges and losses) Regulations, 2010, as amended from time to time. 

• A generating station, including a captive power plant, which has been granted connectivity and GNA to the ISTS, shall be allowed to interchange infirm power with the grid during the commissioning period, including testing and full load testing before the COD, after obtaining prior permission of the concerned RLDC.

Start-up Power–

• Shall not be allowed 15 months prior to the expected date of first synchronization and 6 months after the date of first synchronization.

• Shall be subject to payment of transmission charges, and the generator shall have to open a revolving and irrevocable Letter of Credit issued by a scheduled bank equivalent to 2 months’ transmission charges prior to drawal of start-up power.

• Shall not be allowed for construction activities.

Injection of Infirm Power–    

• Shall not exceed 6 months from the date of first synchronization.

• The concerned Regional Load Despatch Centre while granting permission for interchange of infirm power with the grid shall keep grid security in mind.

• The period for interchange of power may be extended on request from the generating station.

• The interchange of infirm power or start-up power shall be treated as deviation and guided by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Deviation Settlement Mechanism and related matters) Regulations, 2014, as amended from time to time or subsequent re-enactment thereof.

• The effective date of GNA shall be the date indicated in the Letter of Grant of GNA or GNA Agreement or from the availability of the transmission system for operationalization of GNA, whichever is later, and the liability of payment of transmission charges shall begin from this date.

• If operationalization of GNA is contingent upon commissioning of several transmission lines or systems and only some of the transmission lines or elements have been declared to be under commercial operation, GNA to the extent which can be operationalized without affecting the security and reliability of the grid shall be operationalized by CTU and the GNA customer shall pay transmission charges for the quantum of GNA operationalized.

• The inability of a GNA applicant to generate or supply electricity shall not absolve it from liability to pay transmission charges.

• The applicant who is granted GNA shall establish payment security mechanism in the form of Letter of Credit before operationalization of GNA, but this shall not be a precondition for operationalization of GNA.

• If the transmission system or a generator is delayed due to unavoidable reasons, the date of operationalization of GNA may be correspondingly extended with the approval of the Central Commission.

• Interface point between the generating system and transmission system following CEA metering regulations with following stipulations:

  • At the pooling substation of the licensee if the line is owned or constructed by the generator.

  • At the bus bar of the generating station if the generator is connected with more than one pooling substation. 

• A generating station shall be entitled to exchange power with the grid only after signing PPA or SPA and informing the same to CTU or RLDCs or selling power through exchange.

• If a GNA customer enters into a PPA or SPA with a person who has been granted license for inter-state trading, such PPA or SPA shall be considered for the purpose of scheduling on behalf of the GNA customer.

• CTU shall give priority to long term PPAs over medium term PPAs, and to medium term over short term PPAs, and among PPAs of the same category, on pro-rata basis. A generator/DISCOM/bulk consumer may also transact power through power exchange which shall be scheduled as per available corridor.

• Any termination of PPA shall be intimated to the CTU and the RLDC by the GNA applicant not later than week from such termination.

• On termination of PPA, the GNA applicant shall continue to pay transmission charges as per existing regulations.

• If a GNA customer intends to exit from GNA it will be disconnected from the grid from the intended date of exit and will be liable to pay relinquishment charges.

• For generating stations where LTA (including target region) has been sought for part capacity, the generating station shall apply for GNA for additional quantum (balance quantum for which there is no LTA) within 3 months from the date of notification of these Regulations and CTU shall grant GNA to such generating stations from the date of availability of transmission system.

• If no application for GNA is received from generating stations within the stipulated time, it will not be allowed to schedule power beyond the quantum of LTA, until it applies for GNA.

• In case of generating stations who have applied for LTA for full capacity but their LTA is yet to be operational, CTU shall consider the same as GNA application for the full injectable capacity and operationalize GNA as per availability of transmission system.

• In case the existing LTA customer happens to be a trading licensee, the existing LTA shall be converted by CTU into GNA of the concerned generating company or the distribution licensee or intra-state entity, as the case may be.

• Renewable Energy Generating Station or Solar Power Park Developer who has been granted connectivity to ISTS and has not been physically connected to ISTS as on the date of notification of these regulations, shall be deemed to have been granted Stage-I connectivity and shall have to apply for Stage-II connectivity.

• Sharing of transmission charges in this stage shall be as per CERC (Sharing of Inter-state Transmission Charges and Losses) Regulations, 2010 as amended from time to time.

• The transmission licensee should keep a provision of foreclosure in the contract made by it with EPC contractor. In case of foreclosure of contract with the EPC contractor, the damages to the licensee will be reimbursed by CTU from the relinquishment it received.

• In case any developer makes an exit or abandons its project and CTU is not in a position to re-plan the transmission system, CTU shall have the right to encash the Access Bank Guarantee.

• In the event of delay in commissioning of the concerned transmission system from its scheduled date, CTU shall make alternate arrangements for dispatch of power at the cost of the transmission licensee and if an alternate arrangement is not possible, the transmission licensee shall pay proportionate transmission charges to the generator.  

• When, for the reasons of transmission constraints, it becomes necessary to curtail power flow on a transmission corridor after finalization of day-ahead schedule and in real time, the transactions already scheduled may be curtailed by the Regional Load Despatch Centre.

• The transactions shall be curtailed on the basis of duration of transaction, with short term transactions being curtailed first, followed by medium term transactions and thereafter by long term customers. Amongst customers of the same category, curtailment shall be carried out on pro-rata basis. 

• Shall be payable by the GNA customer as per applicable regulations.

• As per CERC (Deviation Settlement) Regulations, 2010.

• Unless otherwise specified by the State Commission, the deviation rate for intra-state entity shall be 105% (for over-drawals or under-generation) and 95% (for under-drawals or over-generation) of the deviation rate at the periphery of regional entity.