TNERC raps load despatch centre, gives final deadline for DSM rollout
While granting a final extension until December 31, the commission stated that any continued inaction would defeat the very purpose of the regulations, which were formulated after extensive deliberation.
TNERC
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has reprimanded the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) for its prolonged delays in implementing the Deviation Settlement Mechanism (DSM) regulations, warning that further extensions would undermine grid discipline and jeopardise power system stability.
While granting a final extension until December 31, the commission stated that any continued inaction would defeat the very purpose of the regulations, which were formulated after extensive deliberation.
In a strongly worded order issued on July 17, the commission has expressed its grave displeasure at the SLDC’s inability to implement the amended DSM framework despite multiple deadlines. And, though it had been over six years since the original regulations were notified in 2019, the SLDC had once again sought nine more months, citing pending software modifications.
The DSM is a regulatory mechanism intended to ensure that power generators and consumers adhere to their scheduled electricity injection or drawal. Deviations are penalised or compensated based on the average grid frequency and the extent of deviation to maintain grid frequency within the prescribed range of 49.90 Hz to 50.05 Hz.
Under the amended framework, no deviation is allowed beyond this frequency band. Deviation charges are calculated for each 15-minute block using a price vector. When the grid frequency falls below 49.90 Hz, indicating grid stress, deviation charges sharply increase and can go up to Rs 10 per unit. At higher frequencies, the charges reduce gradually and become nil at or above 50.05 Hz.
The commercial impact of the delayed provisions will now come into effect from January 1. “Repeated time extensions will embolden violators and compromise the reliability of the state grid. So, no further extensions will be granted,” the commission warned. “Timely implementation of DSM is essential to maintain grid frequency within Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) norms and avoid incurring deviation penalties at the regional level.”
