The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has within a week of giving its consent for APTransco's new load forecast plan for an addtional 5,182 MW capacity by 2007-08 approved the power purchase agreements (PPAs) of the four gas-based power pojects.
These are 450-MW Gowthami Power, 432-MW Konaseema Power, 359-MW Vemagiri Power and 213-MW GVK Phase-II. The commission's earlier decision to accept APTransco's plan to povide 24-hour power supply to rural consumers as per the policy of he state government and justification to maintain 29 per cent reserve margin for reliable power supply has actually paved the way for the four projects.
APERC, while granting the approval, has directed the APTransco and the four project developers to incorporate the amendmets in the PPAs as per its direction.
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One of the salient features of the regulator's order is that the scheduled date of commissoning be linked up with the date of signing of amendement agreement (PPA) instead of linking up with the financial closure date.
While approving the four PPAs, the regulator, however, has given more flexibility to the Transco by increasing the backing-down rights of 1,200 hours per annum to unlimited backing down of generation between the plant load factor (PLF) of 85 per cent and 100 per cent.
This was in addition to backing down rights of 1,000 hours per annum for PLFs between 60 per cent 85 per cent. APERC said that it would enure better merit order dispatch.
The commission has also revised the incentive structure in PPAs slightly to the benefit of APTransco.
Meanwhile, with regard to APTransco's PPA with the APGenco, the state power generating utilty, the regulator has directed inclusion of certain financial and technical norms in the PPA.