Latest news with #EnergyConservationAct
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Energy Management Centre to establish Carbon Credit Facilitation Centre
The Energy Management Centre - Kerala (EMC) has announced plans to establish a Carbon Credit Facilitation Centre. The establishment of the centre is aimed at assisting public and private institutions in the State to secure carbon credits. The EMC has decided to empanel six consultancy firms specialising in carbon-credit marketing to support the new centre, EMC director R. Harikumar said. The EMC announced its plans for the facilitation centre during a workshop on 'Demystifying Carbon Credit' held as part of the World Environment Day celebrations on June 5. Mr. Harikumar highlighted the centre's role in supporting carbon neutrality projects. 'At present, government institutions seeking to obtain carbon credits have to individually invite tenders and appoint consultancies. The facilitation centre will help them avoid such hassles. Private institutions also can seek help from it for securing the credits,' Mr. Harikumar said. The decision to set up the facility also follows the establishment of the National carbon credit and marketing system, enabled by amendments to the Energy Conservation Act at the national level. In Kerala, the EMC is the nodal agency for energy conservation activities. Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty inaugurated the workshop. Puneet Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Power), emphasised the potential of carbon credit mechanisms in reducing emissions and generating revenue. Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, presided.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Standalone solar plant subject to 2,735 compliance tasks, 83 clauses carry imprisonment: Report
New Delhi: A standalone solar energy producing plant in Maharashtra, with a corporate office in Haryana, must comply with 799 unique obligations, resulting in 2,735 total annual compliance tasks, according to a report released by TeamLease RegTech. Of the total obligations applicable to the corporate office, 83 carry imprisonment clauses, the report titled Decoding Compliance Management for Renewable Energy Sector stated. The report highlights that these obligations span central, state and municipal levels, and are distributed across seven categories of law and three tiers of legislation. "The corporate office must adhere to 514 compliances, of which 83 carry imprisonment clauses, often for procedural lapses," the report said. The compliance load is broken down into 646 obligations from central legislation, 151 from the state level, and two from municipal regulations. The manufacturing plant component alone requires 51 approvals, permissions and registrations, and must comply with 285 legal mandates. These obligations arise across categories including safety, employee welfare and statutory audits. The regulatory framework involves multiple agencies including the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). Obligations include adherence to Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs), Energy Conservation Act, tariff policies, environmental clearances, and grid integration standards in accordance with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms. Compliance challenges identified in the report include fragmentation across jurisdictions, overlapping mandates from different authorities, inconsistent policy implementation, and delays in land acquisition and environmental clearances. The continued reliance on manual, paper-based compliance systems also increases the risk of non-compliance, it said. The 799 obligations are spread across categories such as labour (244), secretarial (238), industry-specific (106), finance and taxation (84), environment health and safety (EHS) (58), commercial (38), and general (31). In terms of frequency, these include 58 monthly, 94 quarterly, 45 half-yearly and 114 annual compliances. The remaining 88 are event-based or one-time obligations. "The regulatory landscape circumscribes various standards, authorities and compliance requirements," the report noted. It further explained that the complexity is increased by the concurrent jurisdiction of central and state governments in areas like labour and electricity. The report detailed that approvals required to establish and operate the plant cover stages such as setting up (10), pre-commissioning (7), post-commissioning (4), and ongoing operations (30), totalling 51 approvals. These are governed under at least 31 Acts and Rules. Imprisonment clauses linked to compliance requirements are most prevalent under labour laws, accounting for 77.1 per cent, followed by secretarial (12 per cent), finance and taxation (8.4 per cent), and EHS (2.4 per cent). In terms of legislative origin, 66.3 per cent of these clauses stem from central laws, while 33.7 per cent are from state laws. The report further highlighted that the compliance types include returns, registers and records, payments, certificates and licenses, notices and correspondence, inspections, safety and welfare, audit and accounts, and others. The company under consideration has 100 or fewer employees and employs more than 20 contract labourers in the factory. It uses diesel generators, fire extinguishers, and consumes batteries at both manufacturing and corporate locations. It also generates e-waste, battery waste, and solid waste, with operations based on zero liquid discharge. The report recommends that renewable energy companies adopt a centralised and automated compliance strategy to manage obligations more efficiently.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
CERC pushes virtual PPAs to help industries meet renewable targets without transmission hurdles
New Delhi: The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission ( CERC ) has floated draft guidelines for virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs), proposing a regulatory framework to enable enterprises and Designated Consumers to meet their long-term Renewable Energy Consumption Obligations (RCO) under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The draft defines VPPAs as non-transferable specific delivery (NTSD) over-the-counter (OTC) financial contracts between a consumer and a renewable energy (RE) generator. The draft defines VPPAs as non-transferable specific delivery (NTSD) over-the-counter (OTC) financial contracts between a consumer and a renewable energy (RE) generator. Under the structure, consumers pay a fixed pre-agreed VPPA price while the RE generator sells power on the exchange. The difference between the VPPA price and the realised market price is settled bilaterally between the two parties, without physical delivery of electricity. The Ministry of Power, through a communication dated March 3, 2025, directed CERC to develop a regulatory mechanism for such contracts to facilitate RCO compliance. In support, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), in a letter dated January 31, 2025, clarified that VPPAs are non-tradable OTC contracts and thus do not fall under the purview of the Securities Contracts Regulation Act, 1956. The guidelines provide that RE generators entering VPPAs must register under the REC Regulations, 2022. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated through such contracts must be transferred to the consumer and extinguished as per REC Registry procedures. These RECs cannot be traded. "The RE generator shall sell electricity through power exchange or any other mode authorised under the Electricity Act 2003, and the difference between the VPPA price and the market price shall be settled bilaterally between the contracting parties as per mutually agreed terms," the draft states. Consumers may execute VPPAs directly, through registered traders, or via OTC platforms recognised by CERC. Disputes related to these contracts will be resolved in accordance with the agreed terms in the bilateral agreement. The Commission has sought stakeholder feedback on the proposed guidelines before finalising the framework. The move is expected to support India's target of achieving 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
