The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has issued the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Deviation Settlement Mechanism and Related Matters) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2025. These new regulations, which came into force on July 1, 2025, introduce key revisions to the existing Principal Regulations of 2024, primarily focusing on the charges associated with injecting “infirm power” into the grid.
Infirm power refers to electricity generated and injected into the grid during the testing phase of a generating unit, before its official Commercial Operation Date (COD).
Key Amendments to Regulation 8 (Charges for Deviations)
As per the amended regulations, the charges for the injection of infirm power will generally be zero, with specific exceptions outlined.
For thermal power units, infirm power injected from the date of first synchronization up to the successful completion of the trial run will be paid at the Normal Rate of Charges for Deviations for each time block. However, this payment is subject to a ceiling of ₹ 2.86 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
If infirm power is scheduled after a unit has successfully completed its trial run as per the Grid Code, any deviations from this scheduled infirm power will incur charges applicable to a general seller or a Wind/Solar (WS) seller, as the case may be.
A notable amendment states that if the system frequency (f) exceeds 50.05 Hz, the charges for both the injection of infirm power and for deviations (specifically over-injection) of scheduled infirm power by any seller will be zero. This provision aims to disincentivize excessive power injection during periods of high grid frequency, contributing to overall grid stability.
These amendments by CERC are designed to refine the Deviation Settlement Mechanism, ensuring a clearer framework for compensating and managing infirm power injections while also promoting stable grid operations, particularly under varying frequency conditions.
