JERC for M&M (Standard of Performance for Distribution and Transmission Licensees) Regulations, 2014 (Notification on 9.6.2014)

   

 

 

JOINT ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION

FOR MANIPUR AND MIZORAM

AIZAWL ::: MIZORAM

 

 

N O T I F I C A T I O N

 

Dated Aizawl, the 9^th June, 2014

 

No. H. 11019/8/08-JERC: In exercise of the powers conferred by sections 181 (1) and 181 (2) (za & zb) read with section 57 (1), 57 (2), 59 (1), 86 (1) (i) and 142 of the Electricity Act, 2003 (36 of 2003) and in supersession of Notification No. H. 11019/8/08-JERC: 25^th June, 2010 published on 2^nd July, 2010 and 26^th August,2010 in the Mizoram Extraordinary Gazette issue no.223 and the Manipur Extraordinary Gazette issue no.281 respectively; the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Manipur and Mizoram hereby makes electricity distribution and transmission performance regulations, namely:-

 

 

1 :         SHORT TITLE, EXTENT AND COMMENCEMENT

 

1.1       These Regulations may be called “Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Manipur and Mizoram (Standard of Performance for Distribution and Transmission Licensees) Regulations, 2014.

 

1.2      These Regulations shall be applicable to all licensees engaged in transmission and distribution of electricity in the States of Manipur and Mizoram.

 

1.3      These Regulations shall extend to the whole of the States of Manipur and Mizoram and shall apply in relation to all matters falling within the jurisdiction of the Commission.

 

1.4      These Regulations shall come into force in respective States from the date of its publication in the Official Gazettes of Manipur and Mizoram respectively.

2 :       DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS Definitions

2.1       In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

 

a)   “Act” means the Electricity Act, 2003 and subsequent amendments thereof;

 

b)  “Application” means the application complete in all respects in the appropriate form, as required by the licensee, along with documents showing payment of necessary charges and other compliances;

 

c)   “Area of Supply” means the area within which a licensee is authorized by his License to supply electricity;

 

d)  “Call centre” means the office set up (may be at back end or customer interfacing front end) with adequate technology and systems to register complaints round the clock;

 

e)   “Class-I Cities” means the cities with   population of more than one lakh as per census of India 2011;

 

f)   “Clearances”  means  the  necessary  approval  from  outside  agencies  such  as municipal authorities which is required for completion of work by the licensee;

 

g)  “Commission” means the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the states of Manipur and Mizoram;

 

h)  “Consumer indexing” shall mean identification and codification of each consumer in the electrical network with a unique code relating it to the network assets; so that  with  the  help  of  that  unique  code  it  should  be  possible  to  identify  the consumer,  pole,   distribution  transformer,  feeder  and  substation  feeding  the consumer;

 

i)    “Extra High Tension/Extra High Voltage” means the voltage exceeding 33kV under normal conditions;

j)    “Grievance Redressal Forum regulations” means the regulations issued under section 42 (5), (6), (7) by the Commission;

 

k)  “High  Tension/High  Voltage”  means  the  voltage  exceeding 440  volts  but  not exceeding 33kV under normal conditions;

 

l)    “Licensee”  means  any  person  licensed under  Part  IV  of  the  Act  to  distribute or transmit electricity;

 

m) “Low Tension/Low Voltage” means the voltage level that does not exceed 440 volts under normal conditions;

 

n)  “Normal Fuse Off” means fuse blown off because of overloading or ageing;

 

o)   “Remote Areas” for the purpose of these regulations means the areas approachable on foot or by fair weather jeepable road only;

 

p)  “Rural Areas” for the purpose of these regulations means the areas with population upto 10,000 as per census of India 2011 other than Remote Areas;

 

q)  “SOP” means standard of performance;

 

r)   “Towns and cities” for the purpose of these regulations means areas with population greater than 10,000 and upto one lakh as per census of India 2011;

 

s)   “Urban Areas” for the purpose of these regulations means towns and cities excluding the areas covered under Class-I Cities.

 

2.2       Words and expressions used and not defined in these regulations but defined in the Act shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Act. Expressions used herein but not specifically defined in these regulations or in the Acts but defined under any law passed by a competent legislature and applicable to the electricity industry in the state shall have the meaning assigned to them in such law.

 

 

 

Interpretation

 

2.3       In the interpretation of these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

 

a)  words in singular or plural term, as the case may be, shall also be deemed to include plural or singular term, respectively;

 

b)  references herein to the “regulations” shall be considered as a reference to these regulations as amended or modified by the Commission from time to time as per applicable laws.

 

3:         OBJECTIVE

 

3.1       These standards lay down the guidelines to maintain transmission and distribution system parameters within the permissible limits.  These standards shall serve as guidelines for licensees for providing an efficient, reliable, coordinated and economical system of electricity transmission and distribution.

 

3.2       The objectives of these performance standards are:- (a)        to lay down standards of performance;

 

(b)        to measure performance against the standards for the licensee in providing service;

 

(c)        to ensure that the transmission and distribution network performance meets a minimum standard which is essential for the consumers’ installation to function properly;

 

(d)        to enable the consumers to design  their systems and equipment to suit the electrical environment that they operate in; and

 

(e)        to enhance the quality of the services to meet acceptable customer service standards  in the short term and gradually move towards improved customer service standards in the long term.

 

4:        LEGAL PROVISIONS

 

4.1       The Commission, in pursuance of section 57, read with clause (i) of  sub-section (1) of section 86 of the Act, shall specify the standards of performance of  the transmission and distribution  licensees, intending to serve as guidelines for them to operate their transmission and distribution systems for providing quality  and  reliability of resources;

 

4.2       If a licensee fails to meet the standards specified under sub-section (1) of section 57 of the Act, without prejudice to any penalty, which may be imposed, or prosecution be initiated, he shall be liable to pay to a person affected such compensation as may be determined under sub section (2)  of section 57 by the Commission;

 

4.3       Provided that before determination of compensation, the concerned licensee shall be given reasonable opportunity of being heard.

 

4.4       The Commission may, in exercise of the powers vested in it under section 58 of the Act, specify different standards under sub-section (1) of section 57 of the Act for a class or classes of the licensees.

 

4.5       Every licensee shall, within the period specified, under sub-section 59 of the Act, by the Commission, furnish to the Commission the following information, namely:-

 

(a)       the level of performance achieved under sub-section (1) of section 57 of the Act;

 

(b)      the number of cases in which compensation was made under sub-section (2) of section 57 of the Act and the aggregate amount of the compensation.

 

4.6       The Commission shall at least once in every year arrange for publication, in such form and manner, as it considers appropriate, of such of information furnished to it under section 6.5.

4.7       The Commission may, in exercise of the powers vested in it under section 142 of the Act; resort to penal action against the officials of the licensee’s responsible for non- fulfillment of the standards of performance, in cases where licensee is able to identify such officers.

5 :       STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE

 

5.1       The   standards   specified   in   Schedule-I   shall   be   the   guaranteed   standards   of performance, which are the minimum standards of service that a distribution and transmission licensees shall achieve. The guaranteed standards of performance shall be differentiated across the licensee area based on the concentration of population. The categorisation shall be applicable for Class I cities, Urban areas, Rural areas and Remote areas.

 

5.2       The failure of licensee to achieve the guaranteed standards of service shall entail payment of compensation to the consumer as per Schedule-III.

 

5.3       The standards specified in Schedule-II shall be the overall standards of performance which licensees shall seek to achieve in the discharge of their obligations.

 

 

6:        COMPENSATION MECHANISM

 

6.1       If  licensee  fails  to  meet  the guaranteed  standards of  performance  as  specified  in Schedule-I, licensee shall pay compensation to the affected person.

 

6.2       The minimum compensation to  be paid  by  the  licensee to  the  affected  person  is specified in Schedule-III of these regulations.

 

Provided, the actual compensation may be decided by the Commission considering the following factors:

 

(a)       hardship caused to the consumer; and

 

(b)       average monthly bill of the consumer.

6.3       In  all  cases  of  compensation,  the  payment  of  compensation  shall  be  made  by adjustment against current and/or future bills for supply of electricity, within 90 days from  the  determination  of  claim  by  the  Commission  or  a  person  who  has  been delegated the power of the Commission under section 97 of the Act.

 

6.4       Consumer will be required to make such a claim within 30 days of violation of the guaranteed standards.

 

6.5       In case of events affecting more than one consumer, the provisions for payment of compensation specified in Schedule-III of these regulations shall be applicable to all concerned consumers when the data on consumer indexing is available.

 

6.6       Licensee   shall   within   the   specified   time   limits   as   under,   from the   date   of commencement of these regulations, complete consumer indexing:

 

(a)         for “Class–I Cities”: to be completed within 12 months;

(b)         for “Urban Areas”: to be completed within 18 months; and

(c)         for “Rural Areas”: to be completed in 24 months.

 

6.7       Licensee shall maintain consumer-wise records regarding the guaranteed standards of performance in order to give a fair treatment to all consumers and avoid any dispute regarding violation of standards.

 

6.8       In case of consumers, where level of services defined in the contractual agreement between the licensee and the consumer is different from the other consumers in the same category, deficiency in service shall invite additional compensation commensurate to the additional tariff charged for providing such services.

 

Note: Differential tariff  has been made applicable for certain consumers  within  a specified  consumer category based on minimum contract demand, guaranteed load factor, past agreements duly approved by the Commission subsequent to its formation and uninterrupted power supply.

 

6.9       The compensation paid by licensee under Section 6.1 for the respective parameter, may be allowed to be recovered partly or fully in the revenue requirement of licensee, keeping in view the extent to which the licensee is able to achieve the overall standards of performance, as measured through Auditing results.

Content of audit report

 

6.10     The audit report shall address the following specific matters:

 

(a)        Adherence to procedures and formats as per regulations;

 

(b)        Assessing staff engaged in call centres/complaint handling centres/customer care centres for their understanding of complaint handling procedures, quality parameters, and training adequacy for their task;

 

(c)        Method of data collection and management procedures; and

 

(d)       Review of relevant records (as per appropriate sampling procedures) for reliability and accuracy across quality parameters;

 

6.11     The Commission may authorize the Commission staff or any independent agency (ies) to conduct annual checks, in order to monitor the compliance of the standards by licensees and submit audit report to the Commission.

 

6.12     The following procedure shall be adopted for engaging agency(ies):

 

(a)       audit scope and the methodology for carrying out the audit to be set by the Commission;

 

(b)      the Commission will identify and publish panel of approved agency(ies);

(c)      Licensee shall nominate an agency from the notified panel of agencies;

 

(d)      Licensee shall not engage an agency consecutively for more than two years. They shall also not engage an agency which is currently their statutory auditor or internal auditor or has been engaged as a consultant;

 

(e)        audit shall be conducted under an agreement between the nominated agency and licensee; and

 

(f)        remuneration of the audit agency will be paid by the licensee

Auditing methodology

 

6.13     Grading of the audit report on performance standard submitted by the licensee shall be done in two parts - reliability and accuracy of the data.

 

Reliability grading

 

6.14     The grading system for reporting the reliability of the performance standards shall be set as under:

 

 

6.15     Only if the reliability is of the Grade A, further analysis will be carried out to measure claims on achievement.

 

Accuracy grading

 

6.16     If the data submitted has reliability of Grade A, then further analysis of data will be carried out to assess accuracy of information provided.

 

6.17     Based  on  the  accuracy  grade  assessment  of  the  information  provided  on  the achievement on Overall Standards, certain percentage of compensation paid may be allowed in the ARR by the Commission, set as under:

 

 

 

 

 

7:         COMPLAINT HANDLING MECHANISM

Manual of practice for handling consumer complaints

7.1       Every licensee shall publish “Manual of practice for handling customer complaints” containing following information within   three months from the date of commencement of these regulations:

 

(a)        channels  of  complaint  registration  –  details  of  personnel,  offices,  Call centre(s);

 

(b)        process of handling complaints;

 

(c)        duties and obligations of licensee - guaranteed standards of performance and compensation details; and

 

(d)       any other information which may be affecting the consumers.

 

7.2       The manual shall be prepared in English and local languages.

 

7.3       The manual shall be available for reference of consumers at every office of licensee and downloadable from its website. A consumer shall always be entitled to approach the Grievance Redressal Forum directly in accordance with the applicable regulations of the Commission.

 

7.4       A copy of the manual certified by licensee as “true copy” thereof shall be filed with the  Commission  within  three  months  from  the  date  of  commencement  of  these regulations.

 

Process of handling complaints

 

7.5       Licensee   shall   devise   its   own   processes   at   complaint   handling   centres/   call centre(s)/customer care centre(s)/ service centre(s) or any other customer interface channels to handle consumer complaints. The processes should include the following:

 

(a)        registration of   complaints by allotting a unique identification number to be called the complaint number;

(b)        communication to consumer  of the complaint number, date/ time of registration of the complaint and expected complaint resolution time to the consumer;

 

(c)        record details of each complaint (As per Annexure III);

 

(d)       intimate  contact  details  of  the  next  higher  authority  (including  his  name, telephone number and address) to the consumer in case the consumer is not satisfied with the complaint handling or when requested by him; and

 

(e)        update and record feedback of the consumer on the action taken along with the total time taken for resolution of the complaint.

 

Establishment of call centre(s)

 

7.6       Licensee shall within the following time limits, from the date of commencement of these regulations, establish call centre(s) for redressal of complaints of its consumers:

 

(a)       for “Class-I Cities”, within 12 months;

 

(b)      for “Urban Areas” within 24 months; and

 

(c)       for   “Rural   Areas”   within   appropriate   time   period   to   be   specified   by Commission on case to case basis

 

The call centre at the licensee’s headquarter shall be accessible to its consumers round the clock during all days of the week. The call centres in other class-I cities and urban areas shall be open for not less the eight (8) hours a day on all days of the week.

 

7.7       Licensee shall use the existing channels for recording the customer complaints as per the procedure defined in section 7.5 till the establishment of call centre(s).

 

7.8       Every licensee shall employ or engage sufficient number of officers or employees at its Call centre(s) and earmark or allot or establish a basic telephone or cellular mobile telephone number having sufficient lines or connections to be called as the “toll free number” or “consumer care number” or “help line number” as the case may be, at its call centre(s).

 

7.9       No call charges or short message service charges shall be levied upon, or payable by its consumers, for calls made, or, short message service sent, to the “toll free number” or “consumer care number” or “help line number”, as the case may be.

 

7.10     Every  licensee shall, immediately upon establishment of its Call centre(s),  inform through a public notice in newspapers in circulation in the Area of Supply and should also ensure proper circulation of information to the consumers in case of any changes in the contact numbers.

 

7.11     Licensee should ensure availability of electronic data base to record complaints as per the procedure defined in the section 7.5 for the call centre(s). This data bank should also be linked with the consumer billing data base.

 

Creating awareness

 

7.12     Licensee shall ensure that the following steps are undertaken for creating proper awareness among consumers and licensee staff:

 

(a)        “Manual of practice for handling customer complaints” shall be available for reference of consumers at every office of licensee and downloadable from its website; and

 

(b)        Licensee should publish the guaranteed standards of performance along with compensation structure, information on procedure for filing of complaints, in the bills for month of April and October. If it is not possible to publish the same at the back of the bills, licensee shall publish it on a separate hand out and distribute it along with the bills.

 

 

8:     SUBMISSION OF REPORTS For Distribution

8.1       Licensee shall furnish to the Commission, quarterly report in respect of Guaranteed standards providing the following information, within 15 days from the close of each quarter:

 

a)       performance  levels  achieved  by  licensee  with  reference  to  the  guaranteed standards (specified in Part A of Schedule-I of these regulations) in the format as provided in Annexure – I of these regulations;

 

b)     measures taken to improve the performance; and

 

c)       details  regarding  the  cases  in  which  compensation  was  paid  as  per  format provided in Annexure – I of these regulations.

 

8.2       Licensee shall furnish to the Commission, quarterly report in respect of Overall standards providing the following information to be submitted within 15 days from the close of each quarter:

 

a)       level of performance achieved with reference to the overall standards (specified in Part A of Schedule-II of these regulations) in the format as provided in Annexure-II of these regulations;

 

b)     measures  taken  by  licensee  to  improve  performance  in  the  areas  covered  by overall standards; and

 

c)   separate projection of the capital expenditure requirement for meeting requirements of these regulations along with the performance trajectory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Transmission

 

8.3      The State Transmission Utility shall furnish to the Commission half yearly reports in the format as provided in Annexure – IV of these regulations, by October 31^st and April 30^th of each year on actual performance with reference to the performance standards (specified in Part B of Schedule-I & II of these regulations) as modified from time to time. The report shall contain all parameters irrespective of whether such parameters are applicable during the current reporting period or not. For the purpose of this Regulation, the half-year period would be as follows:

 

a)        1^st Half Year:  1^st April to 30^th September

 

            b)      2^nd Half Year:  1^st October to March 31^st

 

8.4      The State Transmission Utility shall maintain the base data like Log Sheet, Complaint Registers and Interruption Register and relevant load flow studies in respect of system security etc. at sub-station level for compilation of monthly report at circle level. The consolidation report shall be based on circle – wise compilation for the whole State Transmission Utility. The Circle – wise compilation and base data at sub-station level shall be subject to its scrutiny as considered necessary by the Commission.

 

8.5      The Commission may from time to time, modify the contents of the formats or add new formats for additional information.         

 

8.6      The Commission shall, at such intervals as it may deem fit and not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, arrange for the publication of the information furnished by Licensees under this Regulation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

9:    INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS OF EVENTS

 

9.1       A power interruption shall include any outage in the distribution system, extending from the distribution substation to the consumer meter, which may be due to the tripping action of protective devices during faults or the failure of distribution lines and/or transformers, and which results in the loss of power supply to one or more consumers.

 

9.2       The application of the standard of performance specified in these regulations shall remain suspended in case of the following events:

 

(a)        force  majeure  events  such  as  war,  mutiny,  civil  commotion,  riots,  flood, cyclone, lightning, earthquake or other force and strike, lockout, fire affecting licensee’s installations and activities;

 

(b)        outages due to generation failure or transmission network failure;

 

(c)        outages that are initiated by the National Load Despatch Centre/ Regional Load Despatch Centre/ State Load Despatch Centre during the occurrence of failure of their facilities; and

 

(d)       outages due to other events that the Commission shall approve after due notice and hearing.

 

10:     Repeal and Savings

 

10.1     Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Manipur and Mizoram (Standard of Performance for Distribution and Transmission Licensees) Regulations, 2010 is hereby repealed.

 

10.2    Notwithstanding such repeal:

 

(a)      Anything done or action taken or purported to have been taken, or proceedings initiated under such repealed regulation, shall be deemed to have been taken under this regulation to the extent that the same were not inconsistent with the Act.

(b)      The Commission may, at any time and on such terms as it may think fit, amend, alter or modify any provision of this regulation or remove any error or defect in this regulation.

 

11:      Power of Relaxation and Power to Remove Difficulties

 

 

11.1     The Commission may, in public interest and for reasons to be recorded in writing, relax any of the provisions of this regulation.

 

 

11.2    If any difficulty arises in giving effect to any of the provisions of this regulation or there is a dispute  regarding  interpretation  of  any  provision,  the  matter  may  be  expeditiously referred to the Commission. The Commission shall pass necessary orders after consulting the parties concerned, provided that the Commission may refuse to entertain the reference filed beyond 3 months’ delay without sufficient cause.

 

 

 

By Order of the Commission,

 

 

 

 

Sd/- RICHARD ZOTHANKIMA

        Assistant Secretary

12:   SCHEDULE-I

 

PART A: GUARANTEED STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR DISTRIBUTION

 

Operation of call centre(s)

 

12.1     First response against a consumer call: The response time for the consumer call shall be 5 minutes and any delay in the response time beyond standard time allowed shall be subject to compensation as per Schedule-III of these regulations.

 

12.2     Registration of consumer call and issue of complaint number: The registration of consumer call after the first response shall be completed in 7 minutes and any delay beyond standard time allowed shall be subject to compensation as per Schedule-III of these regulations.

 

Restoration of supply

 

12.3     Normal fuse-off: Licensee shall restore power supply in the case of normal fuse-off calls, fuses at the distribution transformer or at the consumer premises within 4 hours of receiving the complaint in Class-I Cities, within 6 hours of receiving the complaint in Urban Areas, within 24 hours of receiving the complaint in Rural Areas and within 36 hours of receiving the complaint in Remote Areas.

 

12.4     Overhead  line/cable  breakdowns:  In  case  of  overhead  line/cable  breakdowns, licensee  shall ensure restoration of power supply  within  24 hours of occurrence  of breakdown in  Class-I Cities, within 36 hours of occurrence of breakdown in Urban Areas, within  48  hours of occurrence of breakdown in Rural Areas and within  96  hours of occurrence of breakdown in Remote Areas.

 

12.5     Underground  cable  breakdowns:  In  case  of  breakdown  of  underground  cable, licensee  shall ensure restoration of power supply within 36 hours of occurrence of breakdown in  Class-I cities & Urban Areas, within 72 hours of occurrence of breakdown in Rural Areas and  within 144 hours of occurrence of breakdown in Remote Areas, after obtaining clearances.

 

12.6     Distribution  transformer  failure:  Licensee  shall  restore  supply  in  the  case  of distribution transformer failures by replacement of transformer  within 48 hours of receiving the complaint in Class-I Cities & Urban Areas, within 5 days of receiving the complaint in Rural Areas and within 10 days of receiving the complaint in Remote Areas.

 

12.7     Period of scheduled outages: Interruption in power supply due to scheduled outages, other than the load-shedding, for duration of more than one hour shall be notified by licensee at least 24 hours in advance through newspapers, local TV networks and such interruption shall not exceed 12 hours in a day. Total number of scheduled outages for any 11 kV feeder, shall not exceed more than 4 in a year.

 

 

Quality of supply

 

12.8     Voltage fluctuations: Licensee shall maintain voltages at the point of commencement of the supply to a consumer within the limits stipulated as under, with reference to the declared voltage:

 

(a)        In the case of Low Voltage, +6% and -6%;

 

(b)        In the case of High Voltage, +9% and -9%; and

 

(c)        In the case of Extra High Voltage, +10% and -10%.

 

12.9     The above standards shall be applicable subject to voltage availability at transmission distribution interfaces within the specified limits.

 

12.10  On receipt of a voltage fluctuation complaint, licensee  shall verify  if the voltage fluctuation is exceeding the limits specified and upon confirmation, licensee shall:

 

(a)        ensure that the voltages are brought within the specified limits, within 4 days of original complaint provided the fault is identified to a local problem on the transformer;

 

(b)        ensure that the voltages are brought within the specified limits, within 15 days of  original complaint provided no expansion/enhancement of the network is involved; and

 

(c)        resolve  the  complaint  within  120  days,  if  up-gradation  of  the  distribution system is required.

 

12.11  In cases  where  substation is required  to  be erected  to resolve  voltage fluctuation complaints, licensee shall, within one month of the receipt of such complaint, submit to  the  Commission a  proposal  for  erection  of  substation,  together  with  the  time required to complete erection and commissioning of such substation and get the same approved  by  the  Commission.  In such cases, licensee is required to inform the consumer about the likely time of resolution of the complaint.

 

Provided that where such substation is covered in licensee’s capital expenditure plan approved by the Commission, licensee shall complete the erection and commissioning of such substation within the time period specified in such capital expenditure plan.

 

12.12  The  compensation for  industrial  and  agricultural  consumers,  who  are expected to install  capacitors at their end, shall not be paid the compensation if capacitors  of adequate capacity are not installed at their premises.

 

 

Meter complaints

 

12.13  The  licensee  shall  perform  the  following  meter  related  activities  subject  to  the provisions provided in the Supply Code and other associated regulations and codes.

 

12.14  Licensee shall inspect and check the correctness of the meter within 4 working days of receiving the complaint in Class-I Cities, within 7 working days of receiving the complaint in Urban Areas, within 15 working days of receiving the complaint in Rural Areas and within 20 days of receiving the complaint in Remote Areas.

 

12.15  Licensee  shall replace the non working (stuck up, running slow, fast or creeping) meter at its own cost, within 3 working days in Class-I Cities, within 5 working days in Urban Areas, within 15 working days in Rural Areas and within 20 days.

 

12.16  Licensee shall replace at its own cost the burnt out meters within 3 working days of receiving  the complaint in Class-I Cities, within 5 working days of receiving the complaint in Urban Areas, within 15 days of receiving the complaint in Rural Areas and within 30 days of receiving the complaint in Remote Areas, if the burning of meter is due to causes attributable to licensee.

 

12.17  If the meter is burnt due to causes attributable to the consumer such as tampering, defect  in   consumer’s   installation,   meter  getting   wet,  connecting   unauthorized additional load etc., licensee shall serve a notice to the consumer for recovery of cost of the meter within 7 days of detection and shall replace the meter within 15 days of receiving the payment from the  consumer and after necessary corrective action is taken to avoid future damage to the meter.

 

Shifting of meters/service lines

 

12.18  Wherever the consumer’s requests for shifting the service connection in the existing premises or for deviation for the existing lines at their own cost, licensee shall inspect and inform the estimated cost to the consumer within 7 days of receipt of application form in Class-I Cities, within 10 days of receipt of application form in Urban Areas and 15 days of receipt of application form in Rural Areas & Remote Areas.

 

12.19  The following time schedule shall be observed for completing the works from date of payment of the charges and necessary clearances:

 

Shifting of meter/ service line:          7 days

Shifting of LT/HT line             :        20 days

Shifting of transformer             :       30 days

 

 

New connections/additional load

 

12.20  In cases where power supply can be provided from existing network, licensee shall release supply to an applicant within 30 days of receipt of application.

 

12.21  In cases where power supply requires extension of distribution mains, licensee shall acknowledge the receipt of the application within 2 days and shall intimate to the applicant in writing, the amount of security and other charges payable within 7 days of receipt of application for Low Tension, within 15 days of receipt of application for High Tension and  within 30 days of receipt of application for Extra High Tension. The supply of electricity in such cases shall be given by licensee within the time limits specified as under:

 

* To be applicable from the date of payment of required security and other charges by the consumer seeking extension of supply

 

12.22  Licensee  may approach  the Commission for extension of time specified above, in specific  cases where the extension of distribution mains requires more time, along with the details.  In such cases, licensee shall inform the consumer about the likely time of resolution of the complaint.

 

12.23  In case of application for new connection, where extension of supply requires erection and  commissioning of new substation, the licensee shall submit to the Commission within  15  days  of  receipt  of  such  application,  a  proposal  for  erection  of  such substation together  with the time required for erection and commissioning, and get approval of the Commission. Licensee shall commence power supply to the applicant within the time period so approved by the Commission.

 

Provided that where such substation is covered in the investment plan approved by the Commission, the licensee shall not be required to take any further approval from the Commission and shall complete erection of such substation within the time period specified in such investment plan.

 

12.24  In cases where the substation is meant to extend supply to an individual consumer, licensee shall commence erection of the substation only after the receipt of necessary security from the applicant.

 

12.25  Licensee shall not, be held responsible for the delay, if any, in extending supply, if the same is  on account of problems relating to right of way, acquisition of land, or the delay in consumer’s obligation over which licensee has no reasonable control.

 

Transfer of ownership and change of category

 

12.26  Licensee shall give effect to transfer of ownership, change of category and conversion of the existing services from Low Tension to High Tension and vice-versa within the following time limits:

 

(a)        title transfer of ownership-within two billing cycles from the date of receipt of application, and

 

(b)        change of category, as shown below:

 

 

12.27  In case of change of category licensee shall examine the technical feasibility upon receipt of  such  application  form and  inform  the  consumer within  7  days  of  receipt of application form about the feasibility.

 

Temporary supply of power

 

12.28  Licensee shall examine the technical feasibility of the connection requested for and if found feasible shall sanction the load and raise a demand note in accordance within 3 days of acceptance of application in Class-I Cities and Urban Areas and within 7 days of acceptance of application in Rural Areas Remote Areas. If the connection is not found technically feasible, licensee shall intimate to the applicant in writing within 7 days for LT connection and 15 days for HT/EHT connection after receipt of application form.

 

12.29  The applicant shall make the payment in accordance with the demand note within 2 days of  receipt of demand note failing which the sanction shall stand lapsed. Also licensee  may,  at  the  request  of  applicant,  accept  payment  at  the  time  of  making application  which  shall  be  received  on  account  and  subject  to  completion  of  all commercial formalities.

 

12.30  After  payment  of  applicable  charges,  licensee  shall  energize  the  connection  in accordance with the date indicated in the application.

 

12.31  If there are dues on the premises, temporary connection can be refused till the dues are paid by the consumer.

 

12.32  Temporary connection shall be granted for a period of up to 3 months at a time, which can be further extended depending upon the requirement.

 

12.33  The grant of temporary connection does not in any way create a right in favor of the applicant for claiming a permanent connection.

 

Consumer bills complaint

 

12.34  Licensee  shall acknowledge  the consumer’s complaint immediately, if received in person  and  within 7 working  days, if received by post. Licensee shall resolve the complaint  regarding electricity  bills  within 24 working hours  of its receipt,  if no additional information is required to be collected and within 15 working days of receipt of complaint in case any additional information is required.

 

 

12.35  In  case  the  complaint  is  genuine  and  revision  of  bill  already  issued  becomes necessary, the due date for payment of bill shall be reckoned from the date of revised bill for the purpose of disconnection of supply or for levy of additional charges for belated payment.

 

Disconnection of supply

 

12.36  Licensee shall disconnect the supply on receipt of request for disconnection within 3 days from the receipt of application in Class-I Cities, within 7 days from the receipt of application in Urban Areas and within 10 days from the receipt of application in Rural Areas & Remote Areas.

 

12.37  Licensee   should   intimate   the   consumer   any   amount   outstanding   against   the disconnected connection  within  7  days  from the  date  of  disconnection  in  Class-I Cities and Urban Areas, and within 15 days from the date of disconnection in Rural Areas & Remote Areas.

 

12.38  Refund of advance consumption deposits/ consumption security and meter security along with “No- Dues certificate” should be made by licensee within 30 days from the date of clearance of all dues outstanding by the consumer in Class-I Cities and Urban Areas, and within 45 days from the date of clearance of all dues outstanding by the consumer in Rural Areas & Remote Areas.

 

Reconnection of supply following disconnection due to non-payment of bills

 

12.39  Licensee   shall  restore  power  supply   to  a  consumer,  whose  supply   has  been disconnected  due  to  non-payment  of  electricity  bills,  within  48  working  hours  of receipt  of  production  of proof of payment by the consumer  in Class-I  Cities, Urban Areas, Rural Areas and Remote Areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART B: GUARANTEED STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR TRANSMISSION

 

Voltage Variation

12.40  Voltage Variation is defined as the derivation of the root – mean – square (RMS) value of the voltage from its nominal RMS value, expressed in terms of percentage. Voltage Variation may be either of short duration not exceeding one minute or of long duration for a time greater than one minute.

 

12.41 For the purpose of these standards, the sustained variation in steady state voltage exceeding one-minute duration shall be considered. The specified permissible limits of sustained voltage variation shall not apply in the cases where the circumstances are reasonably beyond the control of State Transmission Utility.  e.g.: Major break-downs, grid failures, accidents, system distress conditions, etc.           State Transmission Utility shall make all possible efforts to ensure that the grid voltages remain within the following voltage levels at all points of its Transmission System.

 

* 11 kV voltages to be maintained by the transmission Licensee only in those cases  where 11 kV supply is extended from the EHT sub-station.

 

Frequency Variation

12.42  The State Transmission System operates as an integral part of the North-Eastern Regional Grid and frequency management is the joint responsibility of all the constituents in the North-Eastern Region. The State Transmission Utility shall fulfill its obligation to enable the NERLDC to keep the frequency within specified ranges in accordance with provisions of IEGC:

 

The rated frequency of the system shall be 50.0 Hz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13:   SCHEDULE-II

 

PART A: OVERALL STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR DISTRIBUTION

 

# Commission to specify the standard on case to case basis

 

13.6     Period of scheduled outages: Licensee shall achieve the standards of performance as specified in section 12.7 of Schedule-I in at least 95% of the cases.

 

13.7     Shifting of meters/service lines: Licensee shall achieve the standards of performance as specified in section 12.18 and 12.19 of Schedule-I in at least 95% of the cases.

 

13.8     New   connection/additional    load:   Licensee   shall   achieve   the   standards   of performance as specified in section 12.20, 12.21 and 12.23 of Schedule-I in at least

95% of the cases.

 

13.9     Transfer  of  ownership  and  change  of  category:  Licensee  shall  achieve  the standards of performance as specified in section 12.26 and 12.27 of Schedule-I in at least 95% of the cases.

 

13.10  Temporary supply of power: Licensee shall achieve the standards of performance as specified in section 12.28 and 12.29 of Schedule-I in at least 95% of the cases.

 

13.11  Disconnection  of supply: Licensee shall achieve the standards of performance as specified in section 12.36, 12.37 and 12.38 of Schedule-I in at least 95% of the cases.

 

13.12  Faulty meters: Licensee shall maintain the percentage of defective meters to the total number of meters in service, at a value not greater than 3%.

 

13.13  Billing   mistakes:   Licensee   shall   maintain   the   percentage   of   bills   requiring modifications following complaints to the total number of bills issued, at a value not greater than 0.1%.

 

13.14  Street Light faults: Licensee shall rectify faults on streetlights within 24 working hours of detection or receipt of complaint subject to providing of the materials by the local body, whichever is earlier, and shall achieve this standard of performance in at least 95% of the cases.

 

13.15  Load shedding: In case of shortage of power, licensee shall submit the load shedding plan to the Commission and get it approved. Licensee shall publish the same in the newspaper at least 48hrs in advance.

 

Reliability Indices

 

13.16  The  Commission  shall  impose  a  uniform  system  of  recording  and  reporting  of distribution  system  reliability  performance.  The same reliability indices shall be imposed on all licensees. The performance target levels set by the Commission shall be unique  to  each  licensee  to  be based  initially  on  the  historical  performance of licensee.

 

13.17  Based on the information submitted by licensees, the Commission would notify the target levels for the reliability indices annually. Licensee shall be evaluated annually to compare licensees actual performance with the targets.

 

13.18  The licensee shall compute the following distribution reliability indices separately for the Urban Area including Class-I Cities, rural and agricultural feeders :

 

(a)        System  Average  Interruption  Frequency  Index  (SAIFI):  The  licensee  shall calculate  the value as per the formula and methodology specified in section

13.19.

 

(b)        System  Average  Interruption  Duration  Index  (SAIDI):  The  licensee  shall calculate  the value as per the formula and methodology specified in section

13.19.

 

(c)        Momentary  Average  Interruption  Frequency  Index  (MAIFI):  The  licensee shall  calculate  the value  as  per  the formula  and  methodology  specified  in section 13.19.

 

 

Method of computing reliability indices

 

13.19  The Indices shall be computed for licensee as a whole by stacking, for each month all the 11kV  feeders  in the supply  area,  excluding the agricultural feeders,  and  then aggregating the number and duration of all interruptions in that month for each feeder. The Indices would then be computed using the following formulae:

 

n

(a) SAIFI =Σ (Ai  x Ni) / Nt

i=1

 

n

(b) SAIDI =Σ (Bi  x Ni) / Nt

i=1

 

n

(c) MAIFI =Σ (Ci  x Ni) / Nt

i=1

Where,

 

Ai  = Total number of sustained interruptions (each longer than 5 minutes) on ith  feeder for the month

 

Bi  = Total duration of all sustained interruptions (each longer than 5 minutes) on ith

feeder for the month

 

Ci  = Total number of momentary interruptions (each less than or equal to 5 minutes)

on ith  feeder for the month

 

Ni  = Connected load of ith feeder affected due to each interruption

 

Nt  = Total connected load at 11kV in licensee’s supply area

 

n = Number of 11kV feeders in licensee’s supply area (excluding agricultural feeders)

 

Note:

 

(a)        The feeders must be segregated into Urban Area including Class-I cites and rural areas and the value of the indices must be reported separately for each month.

 

(b)        Licensee shall compute the value of these indices separately for agriculture feeders. The methodology for computation of indices shall remain the same as in the case of other feeders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART B:   OVERALL STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR TRANSMISSION

System Availability

Feeder Availability

13.20 The feeder availability gives the percentage of time during which the feeder remained available for transmission. Feeder availability shall be calculated based on the following formula

Here, total availability in hours is equal to the number of hours in a year i.e., 8760 (Non- leap year)

13.21  The State Transmission Utility shall achieve 95% feeder availability from the preliminary stage itself.

Sub-Station Availability:

13.22  The sub-station availability expressed in percentage is the measure of the extent the power transmission capacity remained available from a sub-station. Sub-station availability shall be calculated based on following formula:

 

13.23  The State Transmission Utility shall achieve 95% Substation availability from the preliminary stage itself.

 

Voltage Unbalance

13.24  Voltage Unbalance is defined as the maximum deviation in voltage between two phases divided by the average of the phase voltages of all three phases, expressed in terms of percent:

 

The phase voltages of a 3-phase supply should be of equal in magnitude and phase angle and the loads on each phase should be balanced. Deviations will result in decreased efficiency, negative torque, vibrations and overheating. Severe unbalance could lead to malfunctioning of some equipment. Some types of loads like X-ray machine, electric traction, induction & arc furnace may induce unbalance in the supply voltages.

The voltage unbalance at the inter-connection point with STU shall not exceed the values given below:

 

 

 

The Voltage unbalance shall be measured from hourly Log Sheet Data reordered at sub-stations. Voltmeter having accuracy class not more than 1% shall be preferably used for recording hourly readings.

 

 

Neutral Voltage Displacement

 

13.25 Unbalance in loads on three phases cause shifting of neutral from earth potential. Neutral displacement is applicable for transformers with 'Star Point' solidly grounded. Under "solidly" grounded conditions, the potential of neutral should be equal to earth i.e. zero. But in actual conditions, the earthing of the star point is imperfect and so the star to ground offers small resistance. This results in flow of negative sequence currents through neutral to ground. The neutral therefore shifts from earth potential.

 

13.26 Unbalance voltages and displacement of neutral will result in decreased efficiency, negative torque, leakage currents, vibrations and overheating. Severe unbalance and neutral displacement could lead to malfunctioning of some equipment. Some types of loads like X-ray machines; electric traction; induction and are furnace may induce unbalance in the supply voltages and shift the voltage of neutral from earth potential.

 

13.27 The STU shall ensure that the neutral point voltage of the all EHV transformers with respect to earth will not have potential greater than 2% of the no load phase-phase voltage of the transformer.

 

 

 

Voltage Variation Index (VVI)

13.28 Voltage Variation Index representing the degree of voltage variation from nominal value over a specified period of time expressed as a standard deviation. The Voltage Variation Index (VVI) shall be computed from hourly Log Sheet Data reordered at sub-stations as per the following formula:

 

 

           

V V I =   

Where,

Vi = RMS value of hourly measured voltage (in kV) at i th hour in the period for 

         which VVI is computed

Vs = RMS value of the nominal system voltage i.e. 400kV, 220kV, 132 kV etc. as 

         may be applicable at the interconnection point

N = Number of hourly measurements over the specified period of time

Note: The data from defective metering or any abnormal data shall be discarded from calculations.

13.29 VVI shall be completed on monthly basis.

13.30 The Commission shall fix benchmark for standards of VVI on the basis of data collected for at least one year and revise the levels to be achieved from time to time for ensuring improvement in the performance of STU. The generally the VVI on annual basis shall not exceed the limit of 1% for Voltage levels of 220 KV and 132 KV

 

Service Reliability

 

13.31  The points where electric power is supplied from transmission system to the Users (Distribution Companies, another transmission system, and EHV consumers) are called delivery points or interface points. Outage at these points directly affects the Users of the Grid. The reliability level at the delivery points is therefore an indication of quality of service provided by STU to its Users.

 

System reliability of the Grid is expressed in terms of System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) and System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI)

 

(a) System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI)

This index gives number of interruptions in power supply to loads expressed as per year per EHV Sub-station for a voltage class. All interruptions except due to acts of nature (like earthquake, floods, storms etc.), fire, orders of civil/military authorities, scheduled outage, load shedding to meet capacity shortage, failure of PGCIL transmission system or failure of generating units (leading to grid failure or system islanding) of duration exceeding ten (10) minutes at a time shall be counted in computing the index.

SAIFI = R I / N

Where,

R I = Sum of number of interruptions exceeding 10 minutes at a time duration in the year for the given voltage class

N = Number of EHV sub-stations in service at the beginning of year having that class of voltage supply

SAIFI shall be computed for each voltage class separately.

 

(b) System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI)

This index gives weighted average interruptions in a year with reference to the total connected load on the system. All interrupted loads for duration exceeding ten (10) minutes at a time in the year are counted in computing the index. Interruptions due to acts of nature, orders of civil/military authorities, scheduled outage (including three shift operation of agriculture pump sets), load shedding to meet capacity shortage, failure of PGCIL transmission system or failure of generating units (leading to grid failure or system islanding) shall be however excluded in the computation of this index. SAIDI gives the measure of average interruption time per EHV Sub-station on annual basis for a voltage class.

 

SAIDI = R D / N

 

Where,

R D = Sum of duration of all interruptions of exceeding 10 minutes at a time in the year for the given voltage class

N    = Number of EHV sub-stations in service at the beginning of year having that class of voltage supply

 

System Adequacy

 

13.32  System adequacy is the ability of the power system to receive the generated power             or supply the aggregate electrical demand and energy requirements at all times, taking into account scheduled and reasonably expected unscheduled outage of system elements.

 

13.33  The STU shall observe the Transmission Planning Criteria specified by Central Electricity Authority for designing, developing the transmission network. The Transmission Licensee shall observe the operational standards laid down by CEA Manual for Transmission Planning.

 

13.34  The system voltage and frequency shall be close to the nominal values if possible and there shall be no overloading of any system element under normal conditions and different feasible load-generation conditions.

 

13.35  The system voltage and frequency and loading of system elements shall remain within prescribed limits and not necessitate load shedding or generation re- scheduling in the event of outage of any single system element over and above a pre-contingency system depletion of another element in another corridor.

 

13.36  The system shall remain in synchronism without necessitating load shedding or islanding in the event of single–phase-ground fault or three-phase faults successful clearing of fault by isolating/opening of the faulted system elements. The system shall have adequate margins in terms of voltage and steady state oscillatory stability.

 

14: SCHEDULE-III: COMPENSATION

 

14.1    In case of failure of licensee to meet the guaranteed standards of performance as specified in section 12 of these regulations, compensation shall be payable to the consumer, as shown in the table below:

 

* Minimum compensation payable to the consumer. Commission can award higher compensation to consumers as per section 6.8 of these regulations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15: ANNEXURE-I (REPORTING FORMATS- GUARANTEED STANDARDS)

 

15.1   The following  format shall be used by licensee for reporting the performance levels for guaranteed standards on a quarterly  basis to the

Commission:

 

 

 

15.2     With respect to the call centres following format shall be used by licensee for reporting the quarterly performance:

 

 

 

 

15.3     The quarterly information regarding the compensation shall be submitted by licensee to the Commission in the following format for individual complaints where compensation has been paid:

 

 

 

16: ANNEXURE-II (REPORTING FORMATS- OVERALL STANDARDS)

 

16.1   Licensee shall furnish the information with respect to the  overall standards every quarter to the Commission in the following format:

 

 

 

 

16.2     The quarterly information regarding faulty meters shall be submitted by licensee in the following format:

 

 

 

16.3     The format for submission of quarterly report on reliability indices shall be as follows: