The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for the State of Goa and Union Territories (excluding Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh) has announced the “Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (Framework for Resource Adequacy) Regulations, 2025.” Notified on May 15, 2025, these regulations aim to establish a robust mechanism for planning and securing adequate electricity resources to reliably meet projected demand across the region.
The new framework extends to Goa and the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. While the regulations come into force immediately, specific timelines outlined within them will be applicable from the Financial Year 2025-26.
Core Objectives of the Regulations
The primary objective of these regulations is to ensure a reliable and optimum supply of electricity by outlining a comprehensive framework for:
- Planning of generation and transmission resources.
- Reliably meeting projected electricity demand in compliance with specified reliability standards.
- Achieving an optimal generation mix, with a particular focus on integrating environmentally friendly technologies, flexible resources, energy storage systems, and demand response measures to manage the intermittency of renewable energy sources.
Key Pillars of the Resource Adequacy Framework
The framework is built upon four steps:
- Demand Assessment and Forecasting: Involves meticulous hourly or sub-hourly forecasting of electricity demand across long-term (exceeding five years), medium-term (up to five years), and short-term (up to one year) horizons, utilizing scientific methodologies and comprehensive data.
- Generation Resource Planning: Focuses on assessing existing and contracted generation resources, determining their “Capacity Credit” (the effective dependable capacity of a resource), identifying the “Planning Reserve Margin” (excess capacity needed above peak demand for reliability), and ascertaining the overall “Resource Adequacy Requirement” for obligated entities.
- Procurement Planning: Aims to define an optimal power procurement mix, decide on the type and tenure of procurement contracts, and engage in capacity trading or sharing to mitigate supply risks and avoid stranded assets.
- Monitoring and Compliance: Ensures that all stakeholders adhere to the stipulated guidelines and maintain reliable power supply.
Responsibilities and Collaboration
Distribution Licensees: Will be primarily responsible for assessing and forecasting demand within their control areas and developing their respective Long-Term, Medium-Term, and Short-Term Distribution Resource Adequacy Plans (DRAPs). They are mandated to secure at least 75% of their Resource Adequacy Requirement through long-term contracts and 10-20% through medium-term contracts, with the remainder from short-term agreements (exceptions apply for licensees with over 90% long-term arrangements).
State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) and State Transmission Utility (STU): Will play a crucial role in aggregating demand forecasts from distribution licensees and allocating state-level Resource Adequacy requirements.
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and Grid India/National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC): Their national-level Resource Adequacy Plans will serve as guiding documents for state and distribution licensee planning.
