The new tariffs will be valid from October 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.
The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (HPERC) has followed the lead of the authorities in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Maharashtra in setting generic levelised tariffs for PV projects.
The HPERC’s rates range from Rs 3.98/kWh for projects in rural and undeveloped areas up to 1 MW in size and Rs 3.94/kWh for installations between 1 MW and 5 MW. It has set generic tariffs for projects in the state’s industrial and urban areas at Rs 4.06/kWh (up to 1 MW) and Rs 4.02/kWh (1 MW to 5 MW).
The new tariffs will be valid from October 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, under the HPERC’s Promotion of Generation from the Renewable Energy Sources and Terms and Conditions for Tariff Determination Regulations, 2017. They will not be applicable for projects implemented by Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI), or for rooftop and ground-mounted solar projects installed by consumers under the net-metering program.
Other states too going strong
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) set a generic tariff of Rs 3.29/kWh through to March 31, 2020. The rate represents a slight increase from the generic tariff of Rs 2.72/kWh for 2018-2019. It also set its generic tariff for rooftop solar projects at Rs 3.79/kWh.
The MERC said the tariffs will be applicable when land and evacuation infrastructure expenses are included in a project’s capital costs, rather than being provided for free by power purchasers.
In April, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) also set a generic tariff for the procurement of PV capacity in the state to Rs 3.04/kWh. The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC), meanwhile, recently set a generic tariff of Rs 4.17/kWh.
