CERC asks Power Grid Corp to consider Kerala plea for transmission corridor

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued orders allowing requests of KSEB Ltd for grant of a transmission corridor to Kerala.

In doing so, it set aside an earlier order of Power Grid Corporation of India, which is also the notified Central Transmission Utility (CTU).

Power Grid will now have to reconsider applications made by KSEB in June 2013 and issue orders within next week for grant of transmission corridor for 400 MW for a period of three years.

Power Grid is also being asked to ‘strictly follow the regulations and procedures approved by the Commission from time to time for granting medium- and long-term open access’.

KSEB had challenged the denial of medium-term open access for which the applications were made by NVVN Ltd (NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd) and PTC India Ltd.

It requested that the denial of medium-term open access on the application made by NVVN in June and November of 2013 for the period from March 1, 2014, to February 28, 2017, may be declared as illegal and cancelled.

It sought a similar treatment on the denial of access on the application made by PTC India in June and October 2013 for 100 MW from BALCO for the period from March 1, 2014, to February 28, 2017.

While calculating availability of corridor in June 2014, the Commission found that the CTU had considered the available capacity as 211 MW.

However, the auxiliary power consumption with reference to allocation by the Ministry of Power had not been taken into consideration while calculating the transmission margin.

The Commission directed the CTU to consider the auxiliary power consumption for calculating the transmission margins.

It found valid grounds to assess the application of NVVNL made in June 2013, to be considered as eligible.