Curtailment

Curtailment Is Making Renewable Energy Unviable In Andhra Pradesh

Curtailment of renewable power in the state of Andhra Pradesh has been taken to court. The Power System Operation Limited (POSOCO) has been asked by Andhra Pradesh High Court to look into the reasons behind these curtailments.

The petitioners had gone to court against Andhra Pradesh DISCOMs’ inability to pay the dues and resorting to the curtailment of power from the projects.

Mytrah Vayu had earlier alleged that the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) curtailed the power generated by the projects despite the renewable energy projects being granted the must-run status.
Curtailment

The petitioners argued that since these projects were under the ‘must-run’ status, they are not subject to “merit order despatch” which is wholly unsustainable.

The petitioners also pointed out that the curtailment was also happening due to the higher tariffs being demanded by new state government, while the DISCOMs argue that the curtailment was due to grid security.

Now, since both the APSLDC and APERC are party to this curtailment and are state government bodies, the court finds it necessary for an independent central agency to investigate the facts in this matter.

So, the court has asked POSOCO, an independent central agency, to find out the reason behind the power curtailment by APSLDC and submit a report.

The court has directed the developers and DISCOMs to submit their claims to POSOCO within a week supported by documents. APSLDC has been given a week to file its objections on the claim.

The report prepared by POSOCO will then be sent to the court within four weeks.

Reference- Mercom India, Economic Times, Business Standard