: Refusing to treat the pleas filed by two Adani group firms as a miscellaneous petition, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has asked the companies to file the pleas as a Dispute Resolution Petition.
The pleas were filed by Kamuthi Solar Power Ltd, which had set up a 216 MW solar PV plant, and Ramnad Renewable Energy Ltd, which had set up 72 MW plant, both in Ramnad, through two separate petitions. Both the firms, which are part of the Adani group, said due to the cyclone in Tamil Nadu and unprecedented rainfall recorded in Ramanthapuram district in 2015, there was a delay in the construction of the plant. The 216 MW plant was commissioned by March 15, 2016 and the 72 MW plant was commissioned by March 22, 2016, they pointed out.
However, they said the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) did not provide the sub-station for evacuation of power.
As a result, the projects were delayed beyond March 31, 2016 and the firm could not avail the Rs. 7.01 a unit solar tariff, which was available only for plants commissioned before March 31, 2016.
The firms said they had invested over Rs. 1,356.20 crore on the 216 MW plant and Rs. 452.08 crore on the 72 MW plant with the expectation of Rs. 7.01 per unit. The power purchase agreement was signed only after the TNERC extended the ‘control period’ for Rs. 7.01 per unit tariff from September 11, 2015 to March 31, 2016, they added.
The petitioners’ plants were ready by March 15, 2016. TANGEDCO failed to commission the 400 KV substation at Kamuthi and it was evident to the petitioner at that point that the project would likely be delayed beyond the March 31 deadline.
