The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission has published consultative papers on fixing tariff for wind and bagasse-based cogeneration projects and has asked for feedback by October 27.
It has also come out with a consultative paper on power procurement by distribution licensees from biomass based power plants. The detailed papers available on the Commission’s website tnerc.tn.nic.in outline the basis and rationale for fixing the tariff.
Wind energyIn the consultative paper, the Commission has pegged the wind energy tariff at ₹3.59 a unit. The prevailing tariff for wind energy under the previous order is ₹3.51 a unit for wind mills commissioned on or after the order dated July 31, 2012.
The Commission has adopted a two-part tariff as it did in the previous order of July 2012. This is done when the fuel cost varies and is taken as pass through. The fixed cost for a 20-year period ranges from ₹1.34 to ₹1.81; and the variable cost for financial year 2014-15 is pegged at ₹2.39 and for 2015-16 at ₹3.07 a unit.
Effectively, the tariff for the two years will be ₹4.74 and ₹4.90 a unit for new cogeneration plants. In the last order, the tariff in the first year was ₹3.76 a unit.
Biomass-based power plantsFor biomass electricity, the Commission has set the tariff at ₹5.47 a unit and the next year at ₹5.68 which includes a variable cost of ₹3.61 in 2014-15 and ₹3.79 in 2015-16. The fixed cost ranges between ₹1.52 and ₹1.94 over a 20-year period.