Due to the ongoing support from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and the Ministry of Power, the adoption of Green Open Access rules has begun to rise in various states across the country, as announced by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Tuesday. Specifically, COAI highlighted five states—Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand—that have embraced the amendment to the Green Open Energy Access Rules issued by the Ministry of Power in May of this year.
S.P. Kochhar, the director-general of COAI, expressed satisfaction, stating, “We are pleased to see that a long-standing demand of the industry is now acknowledged as well as supported by the government, and the growing adoption of facilitative Green Open Access by leading states and Union Territories across India vindicates the industry position on this matter.” COAI, representing major telecom companies such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, sees the government’s endorsement of Green Open Access as a positive development.
Kochhar emphasized that, as an essential infrastructure sector and a key enabler of India’s economic growth, the industry has clear objectives to progressively transition towards renewable and green energy. This move aligns with the nation’s carbon reduction goals and sustainability efforts. Kochhar anticipates this trend to expand with faster adoption by other states and Union Territories in the near future.
The Ministry of Power’s Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) (Second Amendment) Rules 2023 now allows entities to aggregate their load by multiple connections served by the same electricity division of a DISCOM to 100 kW or more, making them eligible for availing Open Access for Green Energy. Green Open Access (GOA) is a regulatory provision empowering consumers to procure electricity from renewable energy generators and/or request green energy from the DISCOM(s).
