CHENNAI: The Renewable Energy Producers Association (REPA) has urged the state government to immediately fill the long-pending vacancies in key positions at the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC), stating that the continued absence of senior officials has slowed down the functioning of the commission.
In a communication to principal secretary of the energy department, the association’s chief advisor and chief executive officer, K Venkatachalam, said that the functioning of TNERC has been affected in recent months due to several important posts remaining vacant for years. He pointed out that positions such as secretary, director (tariff), deputy directors (engineering and legal), and electricity ombudsman have not been filled on time.
Delays in filling these posts have led to a slowdown in regulatory work and decision-making, Venkatachalam said, adding that “the absence of experienced officials has affected the overall efficiency and quality of functioning of the commission”.
The association represents more than 929 members involved in power generation through renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. According to REPA, its members account for a major share of about 5,826 MW of installed renewable energy capacity in the state. To safeguard the interests of its members, the association regularly approaches TNERC on various regulatory issues.
He noted, “The commission is currently handling several important matters, including determination of retail tariffs, feed-in tariffs for renewable energy generators, open access charges, additional surcharge issues, and orders related to annual revenue requirement and true-up petitions filed by agencies such as Tamil Nadu Power Distribution, Green Energy Corporation, Transmission Corporation and the State Load Despatch Centre. These matters require careful financial scrutiny and timely decisions. In the absence of key officials, many of these processes are getting delayed.”
He also pointed out that the post of electricity ombudsman remaining vacant has weakened the consumer grievance redressal mechanism. The association has requested the Energy Department to take urgent steps to fill the vacant posts to restore the commission’s efficiency and ensure its smooth functioning.
Mangatram Sharma, principal secretary of the energy department, could not be reached for comments.