Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 10: The Power Development Department has declared its commitment to complete 100 per cent consumer metering by the end of current financial year of 2015-16 i.e. March 31, 2016 and said the funds required for the purpose would be available to it under the two new schemes. The Department has pledged that in case of any further delay in meeting the deadline, it will place the facts before the State Legislature.
“The PDD is formulating comprehensive plan under new schemes IPDS and DDUGJY for complete metering of the consumers, which is an essential component of the two schemes. The funds required to achieve target of 100 per cent metering by March 31, 2016 would also be available to the Department under the two schemes,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Admitting that there was possibility that the PDD might not be able to meet deadline of March 31, 2016, sources said in such a scenario the Department would take the route of Legislature and place all facts before two Houses (of the Legislature).
The PDD has already missed couple of deadlines set for it for 100 per cent consumer metering and this was the latest deadline. As per the deadline, the PDD has to complete the process of metering by March 31, 2016.
“As far as meter testing arrangement is concerned, the Department has designated Commercial and Survey wing of the PDD for carrying out testing and sealing of energy meters of all HT installation and the wing is carrying out the job quite efficiently for the past many years,” sources said.
They added that the Department was also in the process of establishing state of art NABL accredited meter testing laboratories, both in house and mobile, at Jammu and Srinagar for periodic testing of all kind of energy meters. M/s Zera has bagged the tender for establishment of the in house NABL accredited meter testing laboratories at Jammu and Srinagar.
In significant decision, the Department has also invited the private third party NABL accredited laboratories for empanelment for carrying out the third party testing.
“One such laboratory qualifying the requirements has already been empanelled and they have tested number of installations particularly the telecom operators,” sources said.
The PDD is presently meeting the non-solar Renewable Energy Purchase Organisation (RPO) to the extent generated by the small/mini hydro station of State Power Development Corporation (SPDC) in the State, which is only 60.97 per cent on non-solar RPO target, fixed by the Electricity Commission.
The Department has requested for considering the energy banked by the IPPs with PDD as non-solar obligation purchases as the Department, in turn, returns the conventional energy to the IPPs at transmission periphery.
“The main reason for not meeting the non-solar and solar RPO in full is mismatch between the RPO targets fixed and renewable energy generated in the State. Solar power generation in the State is almost negligible,” sources pointed out and said for any renewable generation in the State, the PDD should have first right of refusal before the RE generators decide to sell energy to the consumers outside the State.
“The RPO targets fixed need to be released for Jammu and Kashmir in view of the fact that out of total power purchase, the State had to purchase almost 50 per cent of hydro power, which is considered to be green power,” they said.
The Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) available in power exchange are much costlier than the average pooled price of power purchased by the Department. There already exists a huge gap between power purchase cost and revenue realized, which may widen further is costlier energy or RECs are purchased, sources said.
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