The West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) has given the green light to Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) to procure 150 MW of wind-solar hybrid power from Amp Energy Green Seventeen, a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) of AmpIn Energy, at ₹2.92 (~$0.03)/kWh

CESC had filed a petition on July 4, 2023, for the adoption of tariff and approval of the power purchase agreement (PPA) executed on June 28, 2023, with Amp Energy Green Seventeen for power procurement at the discovered tariff in the competitive bidding process.

Background

On February 8, 2023, CESC initiated a bidding process for selecting a hybrid power developer for the Inter-State Transmission system (ISTS)-connected project to be installed anywhere in India on a build, own, operate basis.

Amp Energy Green Seventeen emerged as the successful L1 bidder, quoting a tariff of ₹3.07 (~$0.036)/kWh.

In the interest of its consumers, CESC entered into post-bid consultations with AmpIn Energy to explore the possibility of further reduction in the offered tariff.

Post consultation, AmpIn Energy agreed to a reduced rate of ₹2.92 (~$0.035)/kWh for the entire contract period.

A letter of award (LoA) was issued to Amp Energy Green Seventeen on May 29, 2023.

CESC executed the PPA with the developer on June 28, 2023, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LoA issued to Amp.

The wind-solar hybrid project will be developed in Nandyala, Andhra Pradesh.

CESC entered the PPA with the developer on June 28, 2023, marking the commencement date. Subsequently, it was agreed that the project’s scheduled commissioning date would be June 28, 2025, 24 months from the PPA.

Commission’s Analysis

The Commission, guided by the tariff policy, noted that the Ministry of Power (MOP) has specified a long-term trajectory of renewable purchase obligation up to 2029-30.

It observed that as per the PPA, CESC will get a minimum of 448.2 MU of energy annually from wind-solar hybrid projects.

It was noted that during the financial year 2021-22, CESC could not achieve the total RPO target set in terms of WBERC Regulations, 2013.

The submitted PPA would reduce the dependence on power exchanges to meet the renewable purchase obligation (RPO), help to improve the renewable energy portfolio, and meet the increasing demand in CESC’s licensed area in the coming years.

The Commission observed that the tariff is well below the average power purchase cost of CESC and, thus, economic as compared to the other power purchase sources approved.

It also observed that no ISTS charges will be levied on the transmission of electricity generated from solar and wind sources through ISTS for the sale of power by the projects to be commissioned within June 30, 2023.

In June, the WBERC proposed rules encompassing various provisions relating to the determination of tariffs in the state. The WBERC (Modalities of Tariff Determination) Regulations, 2023, intends to provide a transparent and structured framework for the state’s power generation, transmission, and distribution, ensuring fair and efficient consumer electricity pricing.

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