The Tamil Nadu Electricity Governance (TEGI) Network (tegi.cag.org.in), an initiative of Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), that aims at promoting electricity governance in Tamil Nadu through a participatory approach, organised a meeting in Coimbatore on 30th May 2013. The meeting was organised in partnership with TEGI Network member Siruthuli - NGO based out of Coimbatore, The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the problems faced by farmers with regards to supply and distribution of electricity and to come up with feasible solutions. The outcome of the workshop together with CAG‘s observations were then handed over to the Energy Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu.

A) Erratic Electricity Supply Affecting Farm Operations : When asked how the supply of electricity affected the functioning of the farms, the farmers said that there was no continuous supply of electricity (irregular) and there were spikes in the supply resulting in no proper availability of water. This has had a two-fold negative effect- a) getting labour is difficult and expensive and b) even perennial crops were getting affected. Open to introducing feeder level meters: To a suggestion that introduction of metering of pump sets would quantify the actual supply and thus lead to greater accountability, the farmers unanimously rejected it. They feared that metering would lead to stoppage of free elec-tricity supply which they were now getting for pumping water from great depths. However, they were open to the pro-posal of dedicated agricultural feeders and metering of these feeders.

B) Mismanagement of Subsidies: Asked about subsidies for energy efficient pump sets, the farmers said that procur-ing these pump sets was a very tedious process. They also claimed that when subsidies were announced, dealers raised the cost of the pumps resulting with no actual benefit to the farmers. They said that they should be allowed to purchase the pumps directly and should be entitled for direct reimbursement from the government.

C) Red Tape in Procuring New or Shifting Electricity Connection: With regard to new connections, farmers said that getting a new connection was a major problem and unless one knew someone who was influential, it was very difficult to get a connection. Even relocating connections based on shifting water sources – a standard operation in agriculture - was very cumbersome and time consuming.

D) Uses of pumped water: There is confusion among the farmers and TANGEDCO on the uses of water pumped. For example, the farmers stated that keeping cattle was part of a sustainable agricultural process. However, the TANGEDCO imposed penalties for water used for washing milk containers. TNEB officers came without notice, cut off supply or levied huge penalties without giving them an opportunity to voice their problems/views. The problem of corruption was also rampant, they said.

Solutions proposed by Farmers:

a) Solar Energy: Farming required continuous electricity of good quality. They proposed that solar energy could be used for energy for domestic purposes as also advertising and street lighting. The percentage of electricity thus saved should be used for agriculture. Efficient implementation and maintenance should be done to make it viable.

b) Planning for Solar power: Stand alone solar power generation units should be connected to grids and that power should be used for pump sets;

c) Predetermine New Connections: The solution suggested was that new connections to be given to each district and should be planned & pre determined and not ad-hoc as currently being done.

d) Feeder Level Metering: Provide for separate transmission lines and meters at the feeder level be provided for agriculture. (continued in next issue)

Electricity Contacts

Call centre—

155333/9445850829

Fuse Off Call Centre:

Tamil Nadu and Chennai

RTI—TANGEDCO

TNERC & Ombudsman:

044-28411376, 28411378,

28411379

CGRF: Addresses

Pay online: TNEBNET

TEGI Network Submits Petition on Farmer’s Plight to Energy Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu (Part 1)

Inside this issue:

Editorial 1 –2

TN News 2

India Electricity News 2-3

Consumer Corner 3

Around the World 4

Regulations & Cases 4

Publications 4

Miscellaneous 4

Poster 5

Empowering Electricity Consumers in Tamil Nadu

EmPower TN July 16-31, 2013

Volume 2, Issue 14

Please send your feedback to

empowertn@cag.org.in

Page 2 EmPower TN

Separate grid for solar, wind projects on anvil

The government would set up a green corridor to generate power from solar and wind capacities that were established at a cost of Rs 50,000 crore, Planning Commis-

sion member BK Chaturvedi told Financial Chronicle. ―The green corridor is the answer to the high cost of transmission of solar and wind power… The separate grid is

proposed to be set up with the help of Power Grid Corporation,‖ he said. If states buy electricity from the solar and wind power plants, the cost of transmission goes up.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change has recommended that India generate 10 per cent of its power needs from solar, wind, hydropower and other renewable

sources by 2015, and an additional 5 per cent by 2020. India has the world‘s fifth-largest wind power capacity of 17,000 mw. Of this, Tamil Nadu alone has 7,000 mw

capacity.

The Planning Commission has targeted 10,000 mw of solar power and 15,000 mw of wind power by 2016-17. India‘s electricity sector is among the world‘s most active

players in renewable energy and its use, especially wind energy. As of December 2011, the installed capacity was 28,000 mw of renewal technologies-based electricity,

more than the total installed electricity capacity in Austria using all technologies. The green corridor would attempt to synchronise power produced from solar and wind

energy with the grid. The present transmission line finds it difficult to evacuate wind and solar power because of fluctuating voltage. Once the region gets connected to

the grid by next January, the southern states would get a big relief from power shortages, said Chaturvedi. The northern, western, eastern and northeastern regions are

now connected to the grid. Once the south is linked, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka would gradually see fewer power outages because it would then be pos-

sible to transfer surplus power to that region. The power situation in the south would improve in the coming months with the first unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power

plant already on stream. The unit would add 1,000 mw to the region. The second 1,000 mw unit is expected to go on stream by the end of the year. Work has begun on the

third and fourth unit of similar capacity at Kudankulam. (mydigitalfc, Jul 28 2013)

TN Electricity News

India Electricity News

Energy Balance submitted by TANGEDCO for the first control period (TANGEDCO Tariff Order, 2013)

Energy Balance in distribution periphery

Soon, 110 TN towns to receive power bill information through SMS

Residents of 110 towns in Tamil Nadu will soon get details including date of meter reading, electric bill due date and even power shutdown schedule through SMS in their

mobile phones. The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) is implementing the Restructured Accelerated Power Development Reforms Pro-

gramme (R-APDRP), a central sector scheme. Officials have asked the low tension (LT) consumers to furnish their mobile phone numbers to the concerned section of-

fices at the time of bill payment. "Work is progressing steadily and we are expecting this service to start in two months from now," A Thangavelu, Chief Engineer of

TANGEDCO, Coimbatore, said.

Information including date of meter reading and payment due date will begin in the first phase and subsequently additional information will be provided including feeder

breakdown and power shutdown schedule. The Ministry of Power has already sanctioned implementation of Part-A (IT) in 110 towns in the state. Apart from this, key op-

erational systems like Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Distribution Management System (SCADA&DMS) will be implemented in seven cities in Tamil Nadu that

have a population of more than 4 lakhs and an annual input energy of 350 million units. Once implemented, real time monitoring and control of generation and transmis-

sion systems will be enabled as remote control rooms are established. Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli and Tirupur are the cities that

are notified for implementation of SCADA/DMS. (TOI, Jul 29, 2013)

Page 3 EmPower TN

FAQs

Making and Keeping Appointments:

Wherever the Licensee make an appointment in writing to visit a consumer on a particular day, the Licensee shall keep such appointment. When the appointment has to

be cancelled the Licensee shall give a 24 hours notice of its cancellation to the consumer.

Grievance Handling

The Licensee shall make arrangement to receive complaints from consumers at appointed date and time at appropriate offices. This information shall be suitably made

known to the consumers. The Licensee‘s representative shall receive the complaints on the appointed dates and time. Wherever the Licensee is unable to comply with the

above requirement, the Licensee shall inform the consumers, to the extent feasible, in advance giving reasons for the inability and the time when it will be complied with.

Due to failure to inform the cancellation, if a consumer turns up with a complaint on the appointed day and registers his presence, he is eligible for compensation at the

specified rate. Distribution Standards of Performance, 2004 (Amended upto 2008)

Consumer Corner

Electricity Bill Arrears and Monthly Installments

Mr. Joseph was under LTVII A (commercial) tariff up to 10/2008, as he was running a provisional store in a shop. In year 2008, by mistake the tariff was changed to

industrial LT IV, a lower tariff, by Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the party remained in the same till 2/2012 and has paid the bills accordingly all these disputed

period. While being so, the mistake was traced out and rectified the same, thus the tariff was reverted to LT VIIA again with effect from 3/2012 and KSEB issued bill of

Rs.39,556/‐ on 2.5.2012, for the recovery of revenue loss (difference in tariff rate) occurred to KSEB during the period of 1 1/2008 to 2/2012. The consumer also admits

that his eligible tariff was LT VII A –commercial and not LTIV‐industrial. The KSEB says that the previous bills are to be revised accordingly. Mr. Joseph said that he being

a small businessman is unable to pay such a large amount in onetime payment.

The Ombudsman held that, as per clause 24(5) of Kerala Electricity Supply code; ―if the Licensee establishes that it has under charged the consumer either by review or

otherwise, the Licensee may recover the amount under charged from the consumer by issuing a bill …..‖ Mr. Joseph had claimed that under the provision of Electricity

Act and the regulations relating to supply of electrical energy, the appellants are not liable to make payment of any amount beyond the period of 6 months preceding

from the last day of consumption or the disconnection of the service. Hence the short assessment made by KSEB is in violation of the Electricity Act and Rules.

The Ombudsman stated that ―claim of bar on Limitation under Section 56(2) of IE Act, 2003, is not applicable here, as the bil l was prepared in 5/2012 and then only the

sum became first ‗due‘ and as such the bar of limitation starts from that date only (unless it is not shown continuously in the subsequent bills issued, incorporating the

amount as arrears pending).‖ Following the analysis, the Ombudsman directed that the Mr. Joseph should pay 20 installments to pay the disputed bill amount. No interest

or surcharge is payable by the consumer during the Petition pending period before the CGRF and this Forum and up to 30th day of this order, which is taken as the re-

vised ‗Due date‖ of the bill. The Party (consumer) has to pay the 1st installment before the ‗due date‘ and all the subsequent installments will carry interest from the ‗due

date‘ to the day of payment. Joseph V.P. Vs Kerala State Electricity Board P/305/2012 click here

Tamil Nadu firm produces electricity using poultry waste

The green spherical domes may resemble a nuclear power plant. But this power plant in Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district uses 300 tonnes of poultry waste to produce 4

MW of electricity every day. It's a custom-built technology evolved over the years. First, the plant produces methane by fermenting the poultry waste through a process

called bio-methanation. The gas is used to run turbines which generate power. The supply is connected to the state electricity grid. Touted to be the first of its kind,

officials at Subashri Bio Energies say around 100 MW power could be generated using the 6000 tonnes of poultry litter available every day in five poultry states. D Salai

Sivaprakasam, Executive Director, says, "With little modification, this technology could be replicated in places where biodegradable waste is available, like the food proc-

essing industry. Power can be generated even by collecting all food wastes in cities."

Namakkal alone generates around 3,000 tonnes of poultry litter every day. Since they pollute air and groundwater, the project has come as a welcome relief for local

people. Muthusamy, a poultry farm owner says, "The project if expanded could completely solve the waste disposal problem in our district in a big way. What used to be

literally waste is now a source of revenue for us. We get Rs. 12,000 for every ten tonnes of the waste." There's more than just clean energy. The plant also converts the

poultry waste into organic manure certified by government agricultural agencies. This saves foreign exchange as well. Meivazhi S Durairaju, Managing Director, says,

"We can produce 2000 tonnes of high nutrient organic manure and at least one lakh litres of liquid fertilizer every day which is the next big in thing in agriculture. We

spend millions of foreign exchange in importing these." (NDTV, July 25, 2013)

Page 4 EmPower TN

Around the World

Publications

UNDP, A Toolkit of Policy Options to Support Inclusive Green Growth, July 2013. click here

UN, Energy for a Sustainable Future: Secretary General‘s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change, 2010. click

here

www.cag.org.in

9/5 II Street Padmanabha Nagar,

Adyar, Chennai 600020.

Phone: 91-44-24460387

Telefax: 91-44-24914358

Email: empowertn@cag.org.in

Join our facebook page @

www.facebook.com/CAGChennai

Citizen consumer and civic Action Group

(CAG)

Latest Regulations

CERC, Terms and Conditions of Tariff for the tariff period commencing from 1.4.2014.. Click here

TNERC, Consultative Paper on ―Comprehensive Tariff Order on Solar Power‖. (Comments/Suggestions are invited

on or before 31.08.2013). click here

Miscellaneous

REEGLE, website with latest high quality information on renewables, energy efficiency and climate change. Click here

IEA, World Energy Model, click here

ABOUT CAG

Established in 1985, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) is an advocacy and campaigning group that works

towards protecting citizens rights in consumer and environmental issues and promotes good governance processes

including transparency, accountability and participatory decision-making.

Editorial Team

K. Vishnu Mohan Rao

Nikhitha M.

Renewable energy consumption/share of power by region - BP Statistics 2013