Behind the battery storage deadline: the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the law it works under

Background

The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has directed KSEB to commission four battery storage projects by January 2027.
The Commission was set up in November 2002, under a law of 1998, the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act.
It now works under the Electricity Act, 2003, which brought the power-sector laws together into one.
Section 82 of that Act says a State Commission shall have not more than three Members, including the Chairperson.
Under Section 85, Members are picked by a Selection Committee chaired by a person who has been a High Court judge.
Under Section 86, a State Commission fixes tariffs for generation, supply, transmission and wheeling of power within the State.
The 2003 Act also removed licensing for generation and required State Electricity Boards to be split up.