Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has proposed amendments to the “CEA (Installation & Operation of Meters) Regulations, 2006” and has sought public opinion for the same.
In a very recent notice, CEA has proposed amendments to “CEA (Installation & Operation of Meters) Regulations, 2006” and has invited comments from stakeholders and the general public, so as to reach CEA by February 26, 2024.
The amendment largely relates to metering of LT consumers using Open Access. Specifically, the amendment states that “consumers connected at voltage level below 11kV and taking power through green energy open access shall be supplied electricity through smart meters as per relevant IS (Indian Standards).
Technically, in clause (b) in sub-regulation (1) of regulation 4 of the “CEA (Installation & Operation of Meters) Regulations, 2006,” the following will be substituted:
“(b) All consumers in areas with communication network, shall be supplied electricity with smart meters working in prepayment mode, conforming to relevant IS, within the timelines as specified by the Central Government:
Provided that all consumer connections having current capacity beyond that specified in relevant IS, shall be provided with meters having automatic remote reading facility or smart meters as per relevant IS.
Provided further that in areas which do not have communication network, installation of prepayment meters, conforming to relevant IS, shall be allowed by the respective State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Provided further that consumers connected at voltage level below 11kV and taking power through green energy open access shall be supplied electricity through smart meters as per relevant IS”
It may be mentioned that the core of the fifth amendment has to do with the green energy open access clause discussed above as the fourth clause. The first three clauses existed in the latest regulations.
Fifth amendment
The proposed amendment would be the fifth such done to “CEA (Installation & Operation of Meters) Regulations, 2006” notified on March 22, 2006. The preceding four amendments were notified on June 4, 2010, December 3, 2014, December 3, 2019 and February 28, 2022, respectively.
The fifth amendment is being officially referred to as “Central Electricity Authority (Installation and Operation of Meters) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024” and will come into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
Also read: CEA Releases Report On Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) Infrastructure
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