Power Ministry seeks data on gas availability

The Power Ministry is believed to have asked the Oil Ministry to provide data on the availability of gas from all sources -- including Reliance Industries' KG Basin -- for power projects, so it could decide on fuel allocation.

"We have asked Petroleum Ministry to indicate likely availability of gas from all sources," a Power Ministry official said.

The Power Ministry would soon decide on the allocation of fuel to gas-based power stations, including NTPC's expansion projects at Anta (Rajasthan), Auraiya (UP), Faridabad (Haryana) and Dadri (UP).

The ministry has also sought a list of gas-based power plants that would come up during the current financial year (2010-11) from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

NTPC is planning to augment the combined capacity of its four power stations by about 6,000 MW in the next five years, for which the company would require 30 million standard cubic metres of gas per day (MMSCMD).

"We are planning an expansion of 6,000 MW of our gas- based stations at Anta, Auraiya, Faridabad and Dadri," NTPC official said, adding that the company requires 30 MMSCMD of gas for the same.

"If we get the gas, we would be able to start work on the projects by February 2011," he added.

The fuel allocation would also be for Reliance Power's three gas-based power projects -- Samalkot (Andhra Pradesh), Shahapur (Maharashtra) and Bharuch in Gujarat.

An empowered group of ministers (EGOM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to meet on July 27 to consider allocating natural gas from RIL's KG-D6 field.

It is likely to allocate gas to the projects, based on recommendations made by the Power Ministry.

Meanwhile, Reliance Power is also believed to have written to the Oil Ministry, asking for 29 MMSCMD of gas for its three gas-based projects.