In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 181 read with Section 50 of the Electricity Act, 2003

EXTRAORDINARY PART III—Section 4 PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY No. 716] NEW DELHI, WEDNES DAY, SEPTEMBER 11 , 2024/ BHADRA 20, 1946 CG-GO-E-12092024-257097 JOINT ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION (For the State of Goa and Union Territories) NOTIFICATION Gurugram, the 2nd August, 2024 Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the State of Goa and Union Territories (Electricity Supply Code) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2024 No. JERC -23/2018 .—In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 181 read with Section 50 of the Electricity Act, 2003 and all other powers enabling it in this behalf including sub -ordinate legislation, rules, statutory orders, resolutions, clarifications issued by the Government in terms of the Act relating to supply of electricity, the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the State of Goa and Union Territories hereby amend its existing JERC (Electricity Supply Code) Regulations, 2018 (hereinafter referred to as the Principal Regulations). REGULATIONS 1. Short title, commencement and extent (i) These Regulations may be called the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the State of Goa and Union Territories (Electricity Supply Code) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2024. (ii) These Regulations shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. (iii) These Regulations shall extend to the State of Goa and the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry and Chandigarh. 2. Amendment in Regulation 2 of the Principal Regulations: (i) Regulation 2.3(4) of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under: “(4) Applicant means an owner or occupier of any premises who files an application with a distribution licensee for supply of electricity, increase or decrease in sanctioned load or contract demand, change in title or mutation of name, change in consumer category, disconnection or restoration of supply, or termination of agreement, shifting of connection or any other service s as specified in the JERC Electricity Supply Code Regulations (as amended from time to time) as the case may be, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, Rules and Regulations made there under.” (ii) Following shall be inserted after Regulation 2.3(26) of the Principal Regulations : “(26) (a) Days means clear working days.” (iii) Regulation 2.3(59) of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under: “(59) Prosumer means a person who consumes electricity from the grid and can also inject electricity into the grid for distribution licensee, using same point of supply.” (iv) Following shall be inserted after Regulation 2.3(66) of the Principal Regulations : “(66) (a) Temporary connection means an electricity connection required by a person for meeting his temporary needs such as for construction of residential, commercial and industrial complexes including pumps for dewatering, for illumination during festivals and family functions, for threshers or other such machinery excluding agriculture pump sets, for touring cinemas, theatres, circuses, fairs, exhibitions, melas or congregations.” 3. Amendment in Regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations: (i) The Table -1 under Regulation 4.3 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted with the following: Table 1: Standard Voltage of Supply Category System of Supply A Low Tension a. All installations (other than irrigation pumping and agricultural services) with a contracted load up to and including 5 kW Single phase at 220 V/ 230 V b. Irrigation pumping and agricultural services and all installations except Electric Vehicles charging stations with a contracted load exceeding 5 kW and up to and including 100 kVA of contracted load 3 Phase, 4 wire at 440 V c. EV Charging Station with a contracted load exceeding 5 kW and up to and including 167kVA(150kW) 3 Phase, 4 wire at 440 V B High Tension a. Contracted load exceeding 100 kVA and up to and including 5000kVA. Excluding EV Charging Stations 6.6 kV/11kV/22kV/33kV b. EV Charging Stations having contracted load above 167 kVA (150 kW) and including 5000 kVA 6.6 kV/11kV/22kV/33kV C Extra High Tension a. Contracted load exceeding 5000 kVA 66 kV and above 4. Amendment in Regulation 5 of the Principal Regulations: (i) Regulation 5.5 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under: “If a distribution licensee fails to supply electricity within the period specified in the Supply Code Regulations , it shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five hundred rupees for each day of default.” (ii) Following shall be inserted at the end of Regulation 5.25 of the Principal Regulations : “The applicant shall have an option to submit an application in hard copy or an electronic means” (iii) Regulation 5.27 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under: “Application for new connections up to a load of 10 kW must be accompanied with a photograph of the applicant, identity proof of the applicant, proof of applicant’s ownership or occupancy over the premises for which new connection is being sought as detailed in Regulation 5.29 -5.30 of the Supply Code Regulations. For new connections above 10 kW load, and modification of existing connection, the application must be accompanied with a photograph of the applicant, identity proof of the applicant, proof of applicant’s ownership or occupancy over the premises for which new connection is being sought, proof of applicant’s current address, and in specific cases, certain other documents as detailed in Regulation 5.29 -5.34 of the Supply Code Regulations.” (iv) Following proviso shall be inserted after Regulation 5.36 of the Principal Regulations : “Provided that the application tracking mechanism based on the unique registration number shall be provided by the distribution licensee through web -based application or mobile app or through SMS or by any other mode to monitor the status of processing of the application like receipt of application, site inspection, issuance of demand note, external connection, meter installation and electricity flow. Provided further that in case hard copy of the application form is submitted, the same shall be scanned and uploaded on the website as soon as it is received and acknowledgement with the registration number for that applicant shall be generated and intimated to the applicant within twenty -four hours of receipt of the application, complete with all required information.” (v) The Table -3 under Regulation 5.52 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted with the following: “Table 3: Timeline for releasing new electricity connection (energization): Activity Timeline New connection/additional load where supply can be provided from existing network. Metro Cities: within 3 days from receipt of application complete in all respect in the appropriate form. Urban/Municipal areas: within 7 days from receipt of application complete in all respect in the appropriate form. Rural area: within 15 days from receipt of application complete in all respect in the appropriate form. Rural area of Islands: 30 days from receipt of application complete in all respect in the appropriate form. Extension works or enhancement of transformer capacity is required/ extension of distribution mains, or commissioning of new substations. The distribution licensee shall supply the electricity to such premises immediately after such extension or commissioning within a period not exceeding 90 days. (vi) Following shall be inserted at the end of Regulation 5.119 of the Principal Regulations: “In case, an agreement is required to be executed between distribution licensee and the consumer, the same shall become the part of the application and there shall not be any requirement of a separate agreement.” 5. Amendment in Regulation 6 of the Principal Regulations: (i) In Regulation 6.1 of the Principal Regulations in the first line, ‘ No installation shall be serviced without a meter’ shall be substituted with the following: “No connection shall be given without a meter and such meter shall be the smart pre - payment meter or pre -payment meter. Any exception to the smart meter or pre -payment meter shall have to be duly approved by the Commission. The Commission , while doing so, shall record proper justification for allowing the deviation from installation of the smart pre -payment meter or pre -payment meter.” (ii) Following shall be inserted after Regulation 6.6 of the Principal Regulations: “(a) Time of Day Tariff (TOD) - The Time of Day tariff for Commercial and Industrial consumers having maximum demand more than 10 kW shall be made effective from a date not later than 1st April, 2025 and for other consumers except agricultural consumers, the Time of Day tariff shall be made effective not later than 1st April, 2025 and a Time of Day tariff shall be made effective immediately after installation of smart meters, for the consumers with smart meters. Provided that in case there is any delay in the installation of smart meters and implementation of TOD from 1st April, 2025, exception shall be sought from the Commission.” (iii) Following shall be inserted in the last line before ‘Failing this, supply shall be disconnected’ in Regulation 6.27 of the Principal Regulations: “The consumer shall have the option to send the picture of the meter indicating the meter reading and date of meter reading through registered mobile or through e -mail.” (iv) Following shall be inserted after Regulation 6.30 of the Principal Regulations: (a) All types of smart meters shall be read remotely at least once in a day and the other pre -payment meters shall be read by an authorized representative of the distribution licensee at least once in every three months and the data regarding energy consumption shall be made available to the consumer, through website or mobile application or Short Message Service and the like, provided that the consumers having smart pre -payment meters shall also be given the data access for checking their consumption and balance amount at least on daily basis. (b) After the installation of smart meters, no penalty shall be imposed on the consumer, based on the maximum demand recorded by the smart meter, for the period before the installation date. (c) In case maximum demand recorded by the smart meter exceeds the Sanctioned Load in a month, the bill, for that billing cycle, shall be calculated based on the actual recorded maximum demand and consumers shall be informed of this change in calculation through Short Message Service or mobile application: Provided that the revision of the Sanctioned Load, if any, based on the actual recorded maximum demand shall be as under: • in case of increase in recorded maximum demand, the lowest of the monthly maximum demand, where the recorded maximum demand has exceeded the sanctioned load limit at least three times during a financial year, shall be considered as the revised Sanctioned Load, and the same shall be automatically reset from the billing cycle in next financial year; and • in case of reduction of maximum demand, the revision of sanctioned load shall be done in accordance with the Electricity Supply Code. (v) In Regulation 6.35 of the Principal Regulations, in the third line ‘along with the requisite testing fee’ shall be deleted. (vi) 1st and 2nd proviso of Regulation 6.36 of the Principal Regulations, shall be substituted as under: “Provided that no test fee shall be charged from the consumer at the time of reporting if the meter is found to be defective or burnt due to reasons attributable to the consumer, the consumer shall bear the cost of new meter and test fee shall be charged from the consumer through subsequent bills. “Provided further that if it is successfully established that the results of this test are contrary to the results of the test performed by the distribution licensee, then the cost of undertaking such test shall be borne by the distribution licensee. However, in case it is established that the results of this test are same as the results of the test performed by the distribution licensee in Regulation 6.32, then the cost of undertaking such test shall be borne by the Consumer. The meter test results and the meter data shall be issued to the consumer after such test has been completed and the said results are final and binding on both the consumer and the distribution licensee.” (vii) Regulation 6.48 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under: “In case a meter is found burnt either on consumer’s complaint or upon inspection by the Licensee, the Licensee shall restore the supply through a new meter at its own cost within 6 hours of receipt of the complaint or inspection by the Licensee. Provided that the non-availability of meter shall not be a reason for delay in restoration of supply.” 6. Amendment in Regulation 7 of the Principal Regulations: (i) Proviso of Regulation 7.6 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under: “Provided that in case of delay in serving a bill by more than 60 days, the consumers shall be given a rebate of two percent.” (ii) Following proviso shall be added after Regulation 7.30 of the Principal Regulations: “Provided that if the payment is made through online system, a rebate of 0.5% and 0.25% shall be given to LT consumers and HT consumers respectively.” 7. Amendment in Annexure -XVIII of the Principal Regulations: (i) The table provided under Annexure -XVIII for the Delimitation of Security Deposit amount mentioned in Regulation 5.18 shall be substituted as under: - S. No. Particulars Load factor 2 Hours (H) 1. Domestic 30% 12 2. Commercial 50% 12 3. LT Industrial 50% 10 4. HT/EHT Industrial: • Single shift industries 50% 10 • Double shift industries 75% 18 • Continuous industries 100% 24 5. Agriculture / Water Supply 33% 4 6. Street lights 40% 8 7. Signals & blinkers 75% 12 8. Railway Traction 50% 24 9. Hotels/ Restaurant/ Resorts 50% 12 By Order of the Commission S. D. SHARMA , Secy. (I/c) [ADVT. -III/4/Exty./486 /2024 -25] Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi -110064 and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi -110054.