Page 11 - Electricity Sector

Transmission needs a level playing field

Issues with Power Grid need to be sorted out to ensure fairness for the private sector

Time of Day power tariff: Why you may have to pay higher electricity bills

The latest amendment to tariff rules by the Ministry of Power is expected to impact the electricity bills of consumers in India. Here's how the bills will change

Skipper bags power transmission project orders worth Rs 1,135 crore

Leading manufacturer of power transmission and distribution structures Skipper Ltd on Saturday said it has secured cumulative orders worth Rs 1,135 crore for the design, supply, and construction of new transmission line projects for Powergrid Corporation of India, as well as tower and pole export supplies. The export supplies will be made to Latin America, the Middle East, and north Africa, a company statement said without providing further details. The company has a total order book of Rs 4,500 crore and aims at doubling its revenue to Rs 4,000 crore over the next three years. These orders are a significant milestone for Skipper and reaffirm its position as a leading player in the power transmission and distribution industry, it added.

NLC India JV plant in Ghatampur to supply 492 MW of electricity to Assam

State-owned NLC India joint venture Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power has inked a pact to supply 492 MW of electricity to Assam from its 1,980 MW Ghatampur thermal plant. Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Ltd (NUPPL), a joint venture of NLC India and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd, is setting up a coal-based supercritical thermal power plant with a capacity of 1,980 MW (3 x 660 MW) at Ghatampur Tehsil in Kanpur Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh, with 51:49 equity participation. NUPPL and the Assam government on Tuesday announced the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) to ensure a steady and reliable power supply of 492 megawatts (MW) to the state from the former's 1,980 MW Ghatampur Thermal Power Plant. The PPA was signed and exchanged between NUPPL CEO CS Santhosh and Chandan Deka, Chief General Manager/Commercial & EE, APDCL, at Bijulee Bhawan in Guwahati. Under the agreement, NUPPL will supply 492.72 MW of power to the Assam government. This reliable energy supply will ..

Peak power demand met touches all-time high of 223.23 GW on June 9

Peak power demand met or the highest supply of electricity touched an all-time high of 223.23 GW on June 9, showing the waning impact of unseasonal rains on consumption, government data showed. The power ministry had estimated that the peak power demand will easily touch 229 GW during this summer in April only. The unseasonal rains affected the demand and brought down temperature during summer, resulting in fewer use of cooling appliances like air conditioners which guzzle electricity, experts say. Taking proactive measures, the power ministry had asked well in advance all imported coal-based power plants to run at full capacity from March 16, 2023 to June 15, 2023, to meet any unprecedented rise in demand and consumption of electricity in the country. Besides, the ministry had asked the domestic coal-based thermal power plants to import coal for blending to avoid any shortfall of the dry fuel. The government data shows that peak power demand met was 215.97GW in April and 221.34GW

As Ashok Gehlot ups the ante, here's how states compare on power subsidies

The Gehlot government, which was already offering 50 free units to all consumers, has announced that from now on, it will give the first 100 units free to all consumers per month

Delhi CM renominates retd Justice Rajiv Kumar Srivastava as DERC chief

The Delhi government had also filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the matter. In the petition, it stated that Srivastava was proposed in January as the new DERC chairperson

Nepal starts exporting electricity to India, as generation increases

Nepal has started exporting electricity to India from Saturday, as the generation of hydroelectricity from run-of-the-river projects increased with the onset of the monsoon in the Himalayan country. Last year also, Nepal exported hydroelectricity to India from June to November. We have started selling 600 MW hour electricity to India from Saturday as there is a surplus in the electricity in the country, said Suresh Bhattarai, spokesperson of Nepal Electricity Authority. Some time ago Nepal was importing up to 400 MW electricity from India to meet the domestic demand. In Nepal the domestic demand for electricity increases in winter, while the supply decreases and in summer the demand decreases while the supply increases. Most of the hydropower projects operating in Nepal are based on run-of-the-river. Last year, Nepal earned around 12 billion rupees from exporting electricity to India. With the onset of monsoons, hydropower plants in Nepal have been producing excess electricity f

Discoms' dues down by 3rd soon after enforcing Late Payment Surcharge Rule

The total outstanding dues of electricity distribution utilities (discoms) has reduced by a third to around Rs 93,000 crore in May, in less than year of implementing the Late Payment Surcharge (LPS) Rules in June 2022. The burgeoning dues of discoms toward power generation (gencos) mainly and transmission (trancos) firms have been affecting the entire value chain of the sector till last year. According to industry data, in June last year, discoms' dues were at Rs 1.39 lakh crore at the time of the launch of the Late Payment Surcharge (LPS) scheme. The total outstanding dues now stand at around Rs 93,000 crore as per the portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators). The PRAAPTI portal was launched in May 2018, to bring transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and discoms. Experts believe the strict implementation of the Late Payment Surcharge (LPS) Rules can make the power sector m

Japanese govt greenlights household electricity price hike by 7 power firms

The Japanese government has endorsed seven major power companies' plans to raise household electricity prices from June.

Power minister asks industry to set targets under Green Open Access Rules

Union New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Saturday directed the industry to set targets under Green Open Access Rules 2022. In June 2023, the government notified the Green Open Access Rules 2022 to further accelerate India's renewable energy programmes. These rules were notified for promoting generation, purchase and consumption of green energy including through waste-to-energy plants. It also enables a simplified procedure for the open access to green power. Singh chaired a meeting with Industry and other stakeholders in New Delhi on Green Energy Open Access Rules, an official statement said. "The minister exhorts industry leaders to set targets for going green. He called upon the industry leaders to set targets for going green and take advantage of the provisions of Green Energy Open Access Rules to get green power at reasonable rates," the ministry of power said. The Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022, Singh said, are a major step towards India cutting emissions by

Yogi govt launches Bijli Mitra initiative to stop electricity theft in UP

It is notable that the state government is taking strict measures to stop electricity theft along with providing uninterrupted power supply to every family

Torrent Power incorporates two wholly-owned subsidiaries TU9, TU13

Torrent Power on Thursday said it has incorporated two wholly-owned subsidiaries -- Torrent Urja 9 Pvt Ltd (TU9) and Torrent Urja 13 Pvt Ltd (TU13) -- for carrying out business in the power sector including renewables. "Company has incorporated a WOS (wholly owned subsidiary) namely 'Torrent Urja 9 Private Limited' (TU9) on April 26, 2023," a BSE filing said. TU9 is incorporated in India and registered with the Registrar of Companies, Gujarat at Ahmedabad on April 26, 2023 and is yet commence its business operations. It stated that the TU9 is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. TU9 is incorporated with an objective to carry on the business of generation, transmission, distribution, purchase, procurement, sale, trading, import, export or otherwise deal in all forms of electrical power and energy including non-conventional and renewable sources of energy. TU9 has 10,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each with paid up share capital of Rs 1,00,000. Another BSE filing stated that the .

Power Min revises framework to supply cheapest power lot first to consumers

The government has revised the framework for electricity supply to provide the cheapest power lot first to consumers and help state utilities to meet demand in a cost-effective manner. The power ministry has revised the structure of the Day-Ahead National level Merit Order Despatch Mechanism to lower the overall cost of electricity generation, which will translate into lower power prices for consumers, an official statement said Wednesday. As per the revised mechanism, the cheapest generating resources (power) across the country will be despatched (supplied) first to meet the system demand. The gains out of the proposed Day-Ahead National Merit Order Dispatch Mechanism would be shared between generating stations and their consumers. This will result in increased annual savings for electricity consumers. The existing mechanism of merit order dispatch in real-time was made operational in April 2019. The mechanism optimised the total variable cost of generation pan-India while meeting

Orient Green Power loss narrows to nearly Rs 19 cr in March quarter

Orient Green Power Company on Thursday posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 18.97 crore in the March quarter on the back of higher expenses. The consolidated net loss of the company was Rs 32.35 crore in the year-ago period, a BSE filing stated. The company's total income stood at Rs 46.45 crore during the quarter as against Rs 40.20 crore a year ago. The total expense of the firm rose to Rs 71.99 crore during the period under review from Rs 70.88 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. The consolidated net loss also narrowed to Rs 33.33 crore in 2022-23 as compared with Rs 35.78 crore in the previous fiscal. "The current fiscal is a moderate one in terms of wind availability with a dip in generation. This is expected to be recouped from an early onset of wind season next year," T Shivaraman, Managing Director and CEO, said in the statement. The previous year witnessed a one-time income of Rs 2,465 lakh due to resumption in REC (renewable energy certificates) trad

Electricity demand hits record as heat boosts cooling device usage

The India Meteorological Department has forecast a hotter summer in parts of the nation, with temperatures already crossing 44C (111F) at some places

Himachal Power Board to spend Rs 156 cr to modernise electricity supply

The Himachal Pradesh Power Board on Wednesday said it will spend about Rs 156 crore to modernise and strengthen the electricity supply system in Hamirpur -- the home district of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. According to Rajesh Kumar, superintending engineer of HP Power Board, Hamirpur, an estimate of Rs 156 crore has been prepared for strengthening and modernisation of the power supply system in the district. The funds would be spent on the construction of new electrical sub-stations as well as modernisation of transformers and lines and many other works, he said, adding that once the modernisation plan is implemented, the district will stop facing any power supply related problems. He informed that a provision of Rs 5.54 crore has been made for a 33-KV power sub-station at Ukhli and Rs 7.87 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a 33-KV electric sub-station in Saloni. Similarly, a 33-KV sub-station will be constructed in Danddu at a cost of about Rs 8.80 ...

L-G's approval to extend power subsidy pending; people will suffer: Atishi

Delhi Power Minister Atishi said power subsidy to nearly 46 lakh people in the city will cease from Friday onwards as Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena is yet to clear the file to extend the subsidy to consumers. In what could emerge as the latest flashpoint between the city government and the Lt Governor office, the minister said she has sought a meeting with Saxena over the issue but there has been no response. The subsidy we give to 46 lakh people will stop from today. From Monday onwards, people will get inflated bills without subsidy," she said in a press conference here. The minister said the Delhi Cabinet has approved the extension of power subsidy for the year 2023-24 but the file is still pending in the LG office. Till the file is approved we can't give subsidy. I even sought time from the LG office to discuss the matter but it's been more than 24 hours and I have not been given time. The file has also not come back yet," she alleged. Atishi said that the file was sent a few

Adani Power begins electricity supply from Godda plant to Bangladesh

Adani Power on Sunday said that it has begun supplying electricity from its plant in Godda in Jharkhand to Bangladesh. Adani Power Ltd (APL), a part of the diversified Adani Group, has commissioned the first 800 MW ultra-super-critical thermal power generation unit at Godda in Jharkhand. The plant has started with supplying 748 MW of power to Bangladesh, a company statement said. The electricity supplied from Godda will significantly improve the situation in the neighbouring country as it will replace expensive power generated from liquid fuel, bringing down the average cost of power purchased, it stated. The Godda Power Plant is a strategic asset in the India-Bangladesh's long-standing relationship, said S B Khyalia, CEO of Adani Power, in the statement. It is the first power plant in the country, which has started its operations from Day One with 100 per cent Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD), SCR and Zero Water Discharge, it stated. In November 2017, Bangladesh Power Development

27,000 ckm of power transmission lines to be added by 2024-25: Govt

This addition has been proposed in the Inter State Transmission system (ISTS) network at 220kV and above voltage level