The Arunachal Pradesh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (APSERC) has set the State a target of meeting 43.3% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by the financial year (FY) 2030.

The new renewable purchase obligation (RPO) targets will remain valid till FY 2030.

Earlier, the APSERC had set a RPO target of meeting 20.5% of power requirements from renewable energy, with 12.5% coming from non-solar energy and 8% from solar energy by FY 2025.

The last RPO target was issued in 2016.

The new RPO target allocations are 3.48% from wind power, 1.33% from hydro power, 4.5% from distributed renewable energy, including solar energy, and 34.02% from other renewable energy by FY 2030.The new targets have removed a designated category for solar energy and subsumed it under the umbrella category of distributed renewable energy.

Half of the RPO target for distributed renewable energy will be met under the distributed renewable energy category, and the other half of the RPO target will be fulfilled under the other renewable energy category.

The RPO for wind energy must be met by wind power projects commissioned after March 31, 2024.

The RPO for hydro energy will be met by hydro power projects, including pump storage projects and small hydro projects, commissioned after March 31, 2024. Such hydro projects must supply free power to the state/ distribution companies.

The RPO for distributed renewable energy must be met from renewable energy projects less than 10 MW. It can include solar installations under net metering, gross metering, virtual net metering, group net metering, behind the meter, and any other type of solar power project less than 10 MW.

If the designated consumer of the distributed renewable energy project is unable to provide generation data for the installations, the reported capacity will be multiplied by ₹3.5 (~$0.039)/kW per day.

The RPO from the ‘other renewable energy’ will be met by energy produced from any wind, hydro, and distributed renewable energy not included in the above categories. It can be met from wind, hydro, pumped storage, and small hydro power projects, and free power, commissioned before April 1, 2024.

Any shortfall in any RPO category can be met with excess hydro power energy for that year and vice versa.

The excess energy consumption from hydro or wind power can be included under the ‘other renewable energy’ category and vice versa.

Open access and captive power project consumers must fulfill their RPO obligation as per the specified total renewable energy target.

The RPO mandate also provides for meeting the targets by purchasing renewable energy certificates.

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