Power & Electricity Minister Briefs On Cerc Regulation 2022 And Power Supply Load Shedding

Aizawl, Sept 2025: Under the leadership of Power & Electricity Minister Pu F. Rodingliana, a meeting was held to deliberate on the implementation of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Ancillary Services) Regulation, 2022, and the ongoing practice of power supply load shedding. The meeting was attended by Pu TBC Lalvenchhunga, Adviser to the Chief Minister (Finance), along with officials from the P&E Department, Law & Judicial Department, and Finance Department.

During the meeting, the reasons behind load shedding were explained. It was highlighted that Mizoram’s main source of power generation, the Tuirial Hydel Power Station, faces transmission constraints through the 132kV line. As a result, in order to meet the state’s power demand, power is often drawn (overdrawn) from other generating stations without proper scheduling. This unscheduled overdrawal leads to imbalances, forcing the state to resort to load shedding when demand exceeds the scheduled supply. Although construction of an additional evacuation line from Tuirial (the second line) is underway, its delay continues to cause difficulties.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, under the authority of the Indian Electricity Act 2003, introduced the CERC (Ancillary Services) Regulation 2022. According to this regulation, if any state overdrew power beyond its scheduled allocation from the National Grid, the quantum of overdrawal must be immediately recovered from the Grid. To ensure compliance, each state must maintain a reserve power capacity starting from FY 2026-27. The required reserve will be determined by the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) based on the quantum of overdrawal.

For Mizoram, the mandated reserve capacity arising from its past overdrawals (up to FY 2024) is 75 MW. Maintaining this reserve will cost approximately ₹75.6 crore annually. From FY 2026-27 onward, the reserve requirement will be calculated based on Mizoram’s overdrawals in FY 2025. Due to overdrawals, the Government of Mizoram has already incurred a penalty of around ₹85 lakh in August 2025.

To address these challenges, the meeting emphasized the urgent need for self-sufficiency in power generation within the state. The Government of Mizoram is therefore expediting the 132 MW Tuivai Hydel Project, intended to be implemented under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The Minister stressed that the state government would take necessary steps to ensure the project’s smooth progress and timely completion.

The meeting concluded with a call for effective and coordinated implementation of the CERC (Ancillary Services) Regulation 2022, urging careful planning, execution, and public cooperation. Citizens were also appealed to support the government’s initiatives aimed at overcoming these challenges and ensuring stable power supply.