Ratnagiri to triple power output

Maharashtra's power woes are likely to ease by October, as Ratnagiri Gas & Power (RGPPL), the owner of the 2,150-mw Dabhol power plant, is planning to more than triple the generation from the plant in less than four months.

The company will invest Rs 10 crore to repair a steam turbine, which will help restart the defunct gas turbines and generate 1,300 mw of power by September-end or by the first week of October, said RGPPL Managing Director A K Ahuja.

At present, the plant produces 640 mw.

"We are carrying out this repair currently and have tied up with Petronet LNG to supply fuel for 1,300 mw. By December, we are hopeful of producing over 2,000 mw," he said.

A few days ago, the Maharashtra government had decided to provide a guarantee for a loan of Rs 300 crore from Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to carry out maintenance of the damaged plants. The loan is for the repair of a 300-mw unit in Block-II and a 600-mw Block-III at Dabhol, which are dysfunctional due to a breakdown in machinery.

The state Cabinet has to formally approve the decision and it is likely to be conveyed within a few days. RGPPL is also talking to equipment supplier General Electric (GE) for speedy availability of spares at discounted rates, said Ahuja.

The beleaguered power plant of Enron was taken over in 2005 by the government through RGPPL, promoted by NTPC, GAIL, MSEB Holding Company and four banks. Despite infusion of over Rs 800 crore, RGPPL's power plants are yet to function to full capacity due to frequent breakdowns and inadequate availability of fuel.

Dhabol, located about 300 km from Mumbai near Anjanwel in the Ratnagiri district, uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a primary fuel and naphtha as a secondary fuel to power the plants.

RGPPL requires about 2.9 million metre standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) of gas for running two blocks of 350 mw each, but the gas available to the power producer from GAIL, Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum are less than 1.5 mmscmd.

Maharashtra is currently experiencing a shortage of 4,000 to 5,000 mw, which has led to a load shedding ranging from 2 to 8 hours every day in rest of the state, other than Mumbai city.