Essar Power Gujarat achieves 23% rise in production in FY '15

Essar Power Gujarat Ltd. (EPGL), which owns and operates the 1,200 MW Salaya Power plant in Gujarat, has achieved 23 per cent rise in power production at 6609 million units for fiscal 2014-15 as compared to previous fiscal 2013-14.

A subsidiary of Essar Power Ltd., EPGL meets about 10 per cent of its home state's power peak demand, the company stated in an official communique.

According to the company, despite severe challenges on water supply front, availability to Gujarat Urja Vikas Ltd. (GUVNL), the state utility, stood at 80 per cent for the second consecutive year for EGPL, wherein availability in September 2014 stood at 98 per cent, the highest ever.

"Off take by GUVNL in FY '15 was 21 per cent higher than in FY '14. Plant load factor for the year stood at 63 per cent and 6,609 million units of electricity was produced, which is about 23 per cent higher than FY '14," EPGL stated while adding that merchant sales rose by 89 per cent at 411 million units in FY '15 over FY '14.

Having bagged a certification from DNV-GL for the Integrated Management for Safety (IMS), EPGL also achieved 100 per cent utilisation of fly ash generated by disposal of the same to cement and brick manufacturers. Moreover, the company recorded zero Lost Time Injury (LTI) during the year and recorded 3.93 million man hours LTI free, it stated.

Going forward, the company expects to finish some of the associated infrastructure projects for the power plant viz, sea water pipeline system and coal conveyor corridor to improve its operations and reduce the carbon footprint even further, it further stated.