FICCI : Industry's Voice for Policy Change

FICCI commends the move of the Union Government to lay down Rights to the Electricity Consumers through ‘Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020’. The first of such a kind initiative in the power sector in the country shall empower the consumers and balance the rights of all the stakeholders in the value chain. This measure will also help build a robust electricity distribution chain to ensure reliable services and quality of electricity.

The Rules also stipulate that any new electricity connections, refunds and other services must be provided within a stipulated time bound manner and any wilful disregard in the consumer rights will result in levying penalties on service providers.

Mr Uday Shankar, President, FICCI said, “We wholeheartedly welcome the path-breaking initiative of the Government in improving the quality and reliability of power accessibility to all households in the country. This will ensure both transparency and accountability as new rules empower consumers through a system of laid down rules and a system for enforcement of these rights. We believe this is a game changing reform and will take Indian electricity distribution sector at par with the international standards.”

Some of the other key highlights of the Rules include compensation amount to be paid to the consumers by the distribution licensees for violation of standards of performance and metering arrangements which shall be the smart pre-payment meter or pre-payment meter for all the consumers.

Mr Vipul Tuli, Chairman, FICCI Power Committee said, “Implementation of these key provisions by the States will not only benefit the consumers but also help the DISCOMs to plug distribution leakages, modernisation of their supply networks and improve their billing and collection systems.”

Other measures laid down in the Rules in the interest of the consumers include creating online facility within six months of the Rules being notified by the state regulator to enable consumers to compensation, informing consumers through SMS or other electronic means if supply needs to be switched off beyond the outage allowed by the regulator, rebate to consumers if bills are late by more than 60 days of a billing cycle. The Rules also allow consumers to set up rooftop solar power units for captive consumption or become a prosumer.

The enactment of these Rules is one of the most significant reforms towards achieving the fulfilment of the objectives of the Electricity Act 2003.

PSU Watch | Dec 23, 2020

Rights of electricity consumers game-changing reform for distribution sector: FICCI

Commending the move of the government to lay down Rights to the Electricity Consumers through ‘Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020,’ FICCI said on Wednesday that the measure is a game-changing reform which will help build a robust electricity distribution chain to ensure reliable services and quality of electricity. The first of such a kind initiative in the power sector in the country shall empower the consumers and balance the rights of all the stakeholders in the value chain, said the industry body.

The rules also stipulate that any new electricity connections, refunds and other services must be provided within a stipulated time-bound manner and any wilful disregard of the consumer’s rights will result in penalties on service providers.

‘Game-changing reform for power distribution sector’

Uday Shankar, President, FICCI said, “We wholeheartedly welcome the path-breaking initiative of the government in improving the quality and reliability of power accessibility to all households in the country. This will ensure both transparency and accountability as new rules empower consumers through a system of laid down rules and a system for enforcement of these rights. We believe this is a game changing reform and will take Indian electricity distribution sector at par with the international standards.”

Some of the other key highlights of the rules include compensation amount to be paid to the consumers by distribution licensees for violation of standards of performance and metering arrangements which shall be smart pre-payment meter or pre-payment meter for all consumers.

‘The new rules will help DISCOMs plug distribution leakages’

Vipul Tuli, Chairman, FICCI Power Committee said, “Implementation of these key provisions by the states will not only benefit the consumers but also help DISCOMs to plug distribution leakages, modernisation of their supply networks and improve their billing and collection systems.”

Other measures laid down in the rules in the interest of the consumers include creating online facility within six months of the rules being notified by the state regulator to enable consumers to compensation, informing consumers through SMS or other electronic means if supply needs to be switched off beyond the outage allowed by the regulator, rebate to consumers if bills are late by more than 60 days of a billing cycle. The rules also allow consumers to set up rooftop solar power units for captive consumption or become a prosumer.

Energy Infra Post | Nov 29, 2020

Govt mulls plan to bring FAME-like scheme for hydrogen-powered systems: Niti Aayog member

The government is mulling a proposal to bring a FAME-like scheme for hydrogen-powered systems, to push the hydrogen economy in a big way, Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat said on Friday. Addressing a virtual event organised by industry body FICCI, Saraswat said the government is planning to form an overarching committee for steering the hydrogen economy in its totality.

“Can we bring schemes like FAME, which has been done in the case of battery vehicles, in the case of hydrogen-powered systems or fuel cell-powered systems, can we bring in the same kind of GST infrastructure, all these thoughts are going on,” he said.

The government in April 2015 launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme.

India Education Diary | Nov 28, 2020

Hydrogen has the potential to empower the energy transition in India: Dr VK Saraswat

India Education Diary | Nov 28, 2020

Hydrogen has the potential to empower the energy transition in India: Dr VK Saraswat

Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, today said that Hydrogen has the potential to be a powerful enabler of the energy transition, as it offers a clean, sustainable, and flexible option for overcoming multiple obstacles that stand in the way of a resilient and low-carbon economy.

Addressing the virtual inaugural session ‘Role of Hydrogen in India’s Energy Transition’ organized by FICCI, Dr Saraswat said that India is moving towards a robust energy mix focussing on sustainable energy resources.

"Renewable based transition is the cheapest way of transition and the momentum has picked up in the Hydrogen sector. With finance and proper technology in place, hydrogen can play a key role in India’s energy transition," he added.

He stated during the session that one of the key factors that would contribute to the success of this transition process will be the regulatory experiences and state of infrastructure form the natural gas sector.

In India, existing hydrogen demand is mainly focused on the chemical and petrochemical sectors and the future requirement is expected to be driven by greater use across transport, industry and power, he said.

"India is moving towards a robust energy mix focusing on sustainable energy resources such as solar and wind. By 2026-27, India is projected to get around 43 percent of its total installed power capacity from clean energy resources," said Dr Saraswat.

Indian transportation sector, he said, is set to rapidly expand and carbon emissions present both challenge and an opportunity. "Clean hydrogen could cut up to 34 percent of global GHG emissions from fossils fuels and at a manageable cost if policies are put in place to help scale up the technology and drive cost down," Dr Saraswat added.

Dr Saraswat said that the regulations and policy initiatives being formulated for promoting Hydrogen economy for graded penetration in the market with a focus on self-reliance will be crucial in the Indian context.

He added that the government is working towards analysing the current situation and carrying out research and development in all the applicable and innovative areas of the mission hydrogen.

As a major take away, It was pointed out during the session that one of the key factors that would contribute to the success of this transition process will be the regulatory experiences and state of infrastructure form the natural gas sector.

Mr S M Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Limited said that India needs to position itself to be a technology maker and not a technology taker. He further stated that keeping ahead of the technology curve is a matter of strategic importance and India needs to be at the frontier of technological advancements.

"Our organization understands the power of hydrogen as an energy carrier, we see its potential across the economy, in mobility, industrial heating, domestic and commercial uses and the power sector," said Mr Vaidya.

He further said that hydrogen as a solution to a sustainable and secure energy future is gaining much momentum globally. "We are focussed on making a significant contribution in developing the hydrogen economic infrastructure in the country," added Mr Vaidya.

Mr Prashant Modi, Co-Chair, FICCI Hydrocarbons Committee & MD & CEO, Great Eastern Energy Corporation Limited (GEECL) said, "We have witnessed several transformational policies in India which are important in attracting investment and Hydrogen fuel will go a long way in transitioning into a carbon-neutral economy."

PSU Watch | Nov 27, 2020

Hydrogen has the potential to empower the energy transition in India: Dr VK Saraswat

Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, said on Friday that Hydrogen has the potential to be a powerful enabler of the energy transition, as it offers a clean, sustainable, and flexible option for overcoming multiple obstacles that stand in the way of a resilient and low-carbon economy. Addressing the virtual inaugural session ‘Role of Hydrogen in India’s Energy Transition’ organized by FICCI, Dr Saraswat said that India is moving towards a robust energy mix focussing on sustainable energy resources. “Renewable based transition is the cheapest way of transition and the momentum has picked up in the Hydrogen sector. With finance and proper technology in place, hydrogen can play a key role in India’s energy transition,” he added.

He stated during the session that one of the key factors that would contribute to the success of this transition process will be the regulatory experiences and state of infrastructure form the natural gas sector.

In India, existing hydrogen demand is mainly focused on the chemical and petrochemical sectors and the future requirement is expected to be driven by greater use across transport, industry and power, he said.

“India is moving towards a robust energy mix focusing on sustainable energy resources such as solar and wind. By 2026-27, India is projected to get around 43 percent of its total installed power capacity from clean energy resources,” said Dr Saraswat.

Indian transportation sector, he said, is set to rapidly expand and carbon emissions present both challenge and an opportunity. “Clean hydrogen could cut up to 34 percent of global GHG emissions from fossils fuels and at a manageable cost if policies are put in place to help scale up the technology and drive cost down,” Dr Saraswat added.

Dr Saraswat said that the regulations and policy initiatives being formulated for promoting Hydrogen economy for graded penetration in the market with a focus on self-reliance will be crucial in the Indian context.

He added that the government is working towards analysing the current situation and carrying out research and development in all the applicable and innovative areas of the mission hydrogen.

As a major take away, It was pointed out during the session that one of the key factors that would contribute to the success of this transition process will be the regulatory experiences and state of infrastructure form the natural gas sector.

SM Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Limited said that India needs to position itself to be a technology maker and not a technology taker. He further stated that keeping ahead of the technology curve is a matter of strategic importance and India needs to be at the frontier of technological advancements.

“Our organization understands the power of hydrogen as an energy carrier, we see its potential across the economy, in mobility, industrial heating, domestic and commercial uses and the power sector,” said Vaidya.

He further said that hydrogen as a solution to a sustainable and secure energy future is gaining much momentum globally. “We are focussed on making a significant contribution in developing the hydrogen economic infrastructure in the country,” added Vaidya.

Prashant Modi, Co-Chair, FICCI Hydrocarbons Committee & MD & CEO, Great Eastern Energy Corporation Limited (GEECL) said, “We have witnessed several transformational policies in India which are important in attracting investment and Hydrogen fuel will go a long way in transitioning into a carbon-neutral economy.”

Yahoo News | Nov 27, 2020

Govt mulls plan to bring FAME-like scheme for hydrogen-powered systems: Niti Aayog member

The government is mulling a proposal to bring a FAME-like scheme for hydrogen-powered systems, to push the hydrogen economy in a big way, Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat said on Friday.

Addressing a virtual event organised by industry body FICCI, Saraswat said the government is planning to form an overarching committee for steering the hydrogen economy in its totality.

'Can we bring schemes like FAME, which has been done in the case of battery vehicles, in the case of hydrogen-powered systems or fuel cell-powered systems, can we bring in the same kind of GST infrastructure, all these thoughts are going on,' he said.

The government in April 2015 launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme.

The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles by way of offering upfront incentive on purchase of electric vehicles and also by way of establishing necessary charging infrastructure for EVs.

Saraswat said that already, there is a top-down approach as far as the hydrogen economy is concerned, right from the office of the Prime Minister and the Niti Aayog.

'There has been a major push for bringing all the stakeholders together and come up with an overarching committee which will steer the process of the hydrogen economy development in the country,' he said.

Saraswat said this process is strongly on and he had a couple of meetings, including with industry partners like Mahindra and Mahindra.

The Niti Aayog member said research in production of hydrogen needs investments and also needs participation of industry.

'Hydrogen will be key part of India's energy mix as prices of hydrogen will come down in 2-3 years,' he said.

Latest LY | Nov 27, 2020

Govt mulls plan to bring FAME-like scheme for Hydrogen-powered Systems: Niti Aayog Member

The government is mulling a proposal to bring a FAME-like scheme for hydrogen-powered systems, to push the hydrogen economy in a big way, Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat said on Friday.

Addressing a virtual event organised by industry body FICCI, Saraswat said the government is planning to form an overarching committee for steering the hydrogen economy in its totality.

"Can we bring schemes like FAME, which has been done in the case of battery vehicles, in the case of hydrogen-powered systems or fuel cell-powered systems, can we bring in the same kind of GST infrastructure, all these thoughts are going on," he said.

The government in April 2015 launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme.

The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles by way of offering upfront incentive on purchase of electric vehicles and also by way of establishing necessary charging infrastructure for EVs.

Saraswat said that already, there is a top-down approach as far as the hydrogen economy is concerned, right from the office of the Prime Minister and the Niti Aayog.

"There has been a major push for bringing all the stakeholders together and come up with an overarching committee which will steer the process of the hydrogen economy development in the country," he said.

Saraswat said this process is strongly on and he had a couple of meetings, including with industry partners like Mahindra and Mahindra.

The Niti Aayog member said research in production of hydrogen needs investments and also needs participation of industry.

"Hydrogen will be key part of India's energy mix as prices of hydrogen will come down in 2-3 years," he said.

Udaya Vani | Nov 27, 2020

Govt mulls FAME-like scheme for hydrogen-powered systems: Niti Aayog member