The Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC) has implemented new guidelines to promote the generation of electricity from renewable sources. These guidelines, titled the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Terms and Conditions for Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2024, delineate the procedures for grid connection and the sale of green energy.

The categorisation of Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) consumers is based on the duration of their usage of the intra-state transmission and/or distribution system:

1. Long-term open access permits the use of the state's transmission and distribution system for more than 12 years or up to the useful life of the plant, whichever comes first.

2. Medium-term open access allows utilisation of the state's transmission and distribution system for duration longer than three months but not exceeding three years.

3. Short-term open access entails accessing the system for a maximum of one month at a time. Short-term open access consumers can reapply after their term ends, with priority based on the application date.

Consumers are allowed access to intra-state transmission and distribution systems for green energy, subject to regulations and system availability. Renewable energy companies with valid power purchase agreements (PPAs) with distribution licensees (DISCOM) can use open access only for the specified capacity in the PPA, incurring charges set by JSERC.

Captive generating plant owners also have open access rights, but they cannot avail renewable energy through open access for more than twelve time blocks a day to prevent high demand variation for the DISCOM.

Applications for open access to green energy must be submitted to the portal managed by the Grid Controller of India, the operator of the open access registry for green energy. These applications will be forwarded to the state nodal agency (SNA) by the central nodal agency until new procedures and formats are devised.

For long-term open access transactions, the state transmission utility will handle application processing. Short-term open access transactions will be managed by the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), which will consult the relevant transmission utility or DISCOM before approval. For transactions lasting less than one week, the SLDC may permit them without consulting the DISCOM, with coordination procedures to be developed.

The Jharkhand SLDC serves as the SNA for granting both long-term and short-term open access to green energy. The SNA collaborates with transmission licensees, including the State Transmission Utility (STU) and DISCOM, to provide all relevant information on green energy open access through the central nodal agency's portal.