E-Paper
Now choose your power supplier
Industry and businesses can look towards choosing their own power distributor July 2007 onwards in a move by the power department aimed at increasing competition, improving services and, ultimately, lowering tariff.
Industry and businesses can look towards choosing their own power distributor July 2007 onwards in a move by the power department aimed at increasing competition, improving services and, ultimately, lowering tariff.
Under the open-access system, consumers in the Capital will have the choice to draw electricity from an agency other than the one licensed to supply power in his area. This means, apart from BSES and NDPL, consumers will have a third source as well from which to buy power. Domestic consumers, however, will have to wait a while before they can avail the facility under the system.
The draft regulations for the open-access system in power distribution and transmission have received the green signal. The regulations, drafted by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), has finally been notified by the power department.
Under the system, consumers having a connected load of 5 MW and above (big commercial consumers) can choose their own power source July 2007 onwards, while consumers with a connected load of 1 MW and above (mainly industrial) can avail of the facility July 2008 onwards. As for domestic consumers —with a capacity requirement of less than 1 MW — DERC might allow them the facility after July 2008 after reviewing "operational constraints and other factors."
The system will work like this. Consumers will have to apply to the concerned nodal agency — either Delhi Transco (DTL) or the State Load Dispatch Centre — with details like maximum power required, duration of availing open access etc. along with a processing fee. The nodal agency will allow open access from three days to a maximum of one month.
