New tariff norms ensure grid discipline

 The percentage of time when the grid frequency remained within the permissible band of between 49 and 50.5 hertz has shot up to nearly 90 per cent in the northern region since December 2002, as against an average of around 75 per cent in the pre-ABT era.

 Breaching of the upper limit of 50.5 per cent or the lower limit of 49 per cent increases the possibilities of a grid collapse.

 As in the northern region, the other four zones of the country have also witnessed a marked improvement in grid discipline, largely due to penal provisions prescribed under the norms.

 Under the ABT regime, apart from the fixed and variable costs, a third component in the tariff structure