DIRECT CLEAN-ELECTRICITY PURCHASING RIGHTS

Governments and electricity regulators can allow eligible consumers to buy power from independent generators or traders and require network operators to carry and account for that supply on non-discriminatory terms. Carrying contracted third-party electricity through an existing network is commonly called wheeling. For electricity-intensive removal facilities, the right can open access to cleaner generation and negotiated supply contracts where customers otherwise depend on an incumbent supplier. The lever establishes purchasing and network-use rights for third-party supply. It does not provide a physical connection, reserve scarce capacity or build generation. Where these rights already exist, implementation should address remaining restrictions rather than create a separate CDR market.

Rules should settle who can participate, whether smaller consumers can aggregate demand, and which generators and traders may supply them. Network charges must cover the services used, with clear treatment of losses, backup supply and differences between contracted and actual generation. The electricity price and network charges are separate parts of the customer's bill. Metering and settlement, the reconciliation of measured supply and consumption for billing, must allocate electricity reliably across counterparties and time periods. Developers also need credible electricity attributes and lifecycle accounting; a direct contract does not alone prove zero-emission operation or that new renewable generation has been added.

A removal project can seek supply suited to its operating hours, emissions requirements and financing horizon instead of accepting a single supplier's offer. Longer-term electricity contracts may make operating expenditure more predictable and support investment in generation serving industrial demand. Aggregation can make this route accessible to smaller facilities. These benefits depend on competitive offers and usable network terms; a purchasing entitlement alone cannot overcome congestion, inadequate generation or a process that needs power when its contracted generator is unavailable.

Incumbent utilities may undermine access through excessive charges, slow approvals or discriminatory conditions. Poor cost allocation can transfer network and backup-supply costs to remaining customers. A long-term contract can expose a CDR project to unwanted volumes or replacement-power costs if its operation changes. Buyers may acquire renewable attributes already claimed elsewhere or match annual generation while consuming carbon-intensive electricity at other times. Supply contracts also do not protect facilities from network outages merely because the generator is independent.

Regulators should follow applications through approval, executed contracts and settled electricity deliveries, distinguishing legal eligibility from actual use. Reviews should examine total delivered costs, refusals, processing times, disputes and the treatment of smaller consumers. Network operators should report whether charges recover relevant costs and whether access affects reliability. For CDR users, evaluation should compare contracted supply with actual operating patterns and electricity-related emissions. Persistent discrimination or unusable terms should trigger changes to access rules, tariffs or enforcement.

Energy ministries and regulators should agree market-entry rules and oversight. Network operators and electricity traders should test metering, billing, backup supply and settlement. Independent generators should explain contract and investment requirements, while removal developers identify realistic load profiles and flexibility. Lenders should examine volume, price and counterparty risks. Other electricity consumers and public-interest organisations should scrutinise cost allocation, and carbon-accounting specialists should establish the evidence needed for credible electricity claims.

Supranational lawmakers can require supplier choice and third-party network access, as EU electricity law does. National and regional or state authorities can amend electricity-market rules within their powers. Municipal utilities can establish local wheeling arrangements where authorised. Corporate network operators are necessary implementers where their licences give them responsibility for network-use agreements, metering and settlement. Buying electricity alone does not confer this authority; operators remain subject to regulatory access and tariff requirements.