OPEN ACCESS
IN
INTER-STATE
TRANSMISSION
DEFINITION OF “OPEN ACCESS” IN
THE ELECTRICITY ACT, 2003
“The non-discriminatory provision for the use
of transmission lines or distribution system or
associated facilities with such lines or system
by any licensee or consumer or a person
engaged in generation in accordance with the
regulations specified by the Appropriate
Commission”
CERC Order/Regulations on Open
Access

Final Order issued
: 30.01.2004

Final Regulations issued
: 30.01.2004

Gazette Notification
: 06.02.2004
CERC’s Order effective from 06.02.2004.
Salient Features of CERC Order /
Regulations

Open Access customers categorised :
Short-Term
Long-Term

- Upto One year.
- Twenty Five years
or more
All Open Access customers to abide by Indian
Electricity Grid Code.
Further Classification of Open Access
Customers

Direct Customer
– Persons directly connected to system owned or
operated by CTU

Embedded Customer
– Other than direct customer
NODAL AGENCY

For Short-Term Customers
– RLDC of the Region in which the drawal point
is located.

For Long-Term Customers
– Central Transmission Utility (CTU)
– STU of the region in which the drawal point is
located when CTU system is not involved.
Responsibilities of CTU/RLDCs

Procedure for reservation of transmission
capacity for short term customers including
the detailed procedure for bidding within 45
days by RLDC.
 Procedure and application forms for longterm customers within 30 days by CTU.
 Notice of 60 days to the existing customers
for applying afresh.

Standardization within 60 days, the other
commercial conditions for transmission charges
and scheduling and system operation charges.

RLDCs to post “Open Access information” on
their website within 30 days:
Information System
RLDC to post the following on their websites within 30 days:

Floor rate in Rs./MW/Day for Short-Term customer
– Regional System
– Inter-Regional link
– System of STU/SEB/Transmission Licensee



Status Report on current short-term customer
Month-wise and year-wise report on past short-term customer
Information regarding usage of
– Inter-Regional links
– Links between CTU and States systems
– To be updated on hourly basis and wherever feasible on 15minute basis

Average energy losses for previous 52 weeks.
Processing of Application
For Short-Term Customers

Nodal RLDC to interact with concerned RLDCs/SLDCs to
process the same in specified time period.

Processing time as per CERC Order
– Upto One Day
: 12 Hours
– Upto One Week
: 2 days
– Upto One month
: 7 days
– Upto One year
: 30 days

Applicant to furnish details of transactions like point of
injection/drawal, quantum (MW), duration, alongwith
necessary payments.
Approval Process

Short-term open access to be allowed by utilising :
(a) Inherent design margins,
(b) Margins available due to variation in power flows, and
(c) Margins available due to in-built spare transmission
capacity created to cater to future load growth.”
 In case of congestion snap bids are to be invited by
RLDC.
 In case of transmission constraints, the short-term
customers shall be curtailed prior to the long term
customers.
 Provided within a category, the open access customers
shall have equal priority and will be curtailed on pro-rata
basis.
Short- Term Open Access Charges
A. Transmission Charges: (Rs./MW/Day)
ST_RATE = 0.25 x [TSC/ Av_CAP]/365
To be applied on postage stamp basis for each
– Regional System
– Inter-Regional link
– STU/SEB or Transmission Licensee System
25% of this charges to be retained and balance 75
% to be adjusted in the transmission charges
payable by long term customer.
 The transmission charges payable shall be for one day and
in multiples of whole no. of days.
 Every transmission licensee to declare rate in Rs. Per MW
per day which shall remain fixed for one year.
 Where TSC for any transmission licensee is not available the per MW
per day charge applicable for the system owned by CTU of the region
will be applicable.
 Transfer capacity reservation by short-term customers is nontransferable.
 In case of under utilisation , customers to bear the full transmission and
Scheduling and system operation charges as per original reservation.
B. Scheduling and System operation Charges The Short-Term
customer has to pay Scheduling and System Operation Charges @ Rs.
3000/- per day per customer to each RLDCs and SLDCs involved .
C. Handling and processing charges to nodal RLDC
– 2% of the total billed amount(A+B).
D. Non-refundable Processing fee
– Rs. 5000/- per application
Unscheduled inter-change charges
 UI charges to be applicable to all open access
customers.
 For Direct Customer
– separate bill for UI charges.

For Embedded Customer
– A composite bill for the State as a whole
– Segregation to be done at State Level
Reactive Energy charges
 All customers directly connected to CTU network shall
pay reactive energy charges as per IEGC.
 The reactive energy charges to be paid to or received from
Pool A/c shall not be apportioned to the embedded
customers.
 For Embedded Customer reactive energy charges shall be
governed by the regulations of the respective State.
Energy Losses
 The transmission customers shall bear average energy

losses in the transmission system as estimated by CTU and
SLDC concerned.
The energy losses shall be compensated by additional
injection at the injection point(s).
Special Energy Meters

The Special Energy Meters shall be installed by the direct
customers and if required by the embedded customers.