Bagasse-generated power from UP sugar mills dropped to six-year low in FY24

Sources attribute the slump in power production from bagasse to govt's reluctance to revise tariff rates

Once billed as a big source of alternative revenue for the sugar sector, the share of bagasse-generated electricity slumped to 41 per cent of the total power generated from renewable energy (RE) sources in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in FY24, the lowest in six years.

 

According to data sourced from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), sugar mills generated around 2923.56 million units of power from bagasse in FY24. In FY19, it comprised around 76 per cent. Since FY19, the total power generated through cogeneration in the state has dropped by almost 32.3 per cent.

 

Bagasse is a by-product of sugarcane and