Aggregation of buying and selling on power exchanges may disrupt the current market hierarchy but will likely increase competition in the short-term market.
Market coupling is a must to bring a Market-Based Economic Dispatch (MBED) mechanism in India, which in turn will help in the reduction of power tariffs as it will increase flexibility and liquidity in the trade of electricity in the country.
The move is a step towards the government s intention to shift India s electricity trading from long-term (25 years) power purchase agreements (PPAs) to electricity markets (exchanges) and shorter PPAs of up to 12-15 years. It also means the government has revived its plan to introduce Market-Based Economic Dispatch (MBED) mechanism in India.