Private investment dips in conventional power

Renewable & energy efficiency catch investors' fancy but no big deals in two-and-a-half years

In its draft National Electricity Plan, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) makes an interesting observation on peak power demand to be half of the installed generation capacity by 2022. Low demand now marks every part of the power supply chain – generation, equipment, transmission, accessibility. Since this government came to power in mid-2014, there has been no call for investment in conventional generation.

The government expects the plant load factor (PLF or operating ratio) of thermal power units to come down to around 55 per cent in five years from the current 69 per cent. “If renewable capacity comes up