Page 3 - Electricity Sector

Nepal starts exporting 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh via Indian grid

Nepal has begun exporting 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh through an Indian transmission line. Nepal, India and Bangladesh signed a trilateral agreement on October 3, 2024 to export electricity produced by Nepal to Bangladesh via the Indian transmission line. A Nepalese official said the export of electricity to Bangladesh has started from Saturday midnight. As per the agreement, Nepal will export 40 MW of electricity from June 15 to November 15. The electricity will be transmitted to Bangladesh via India's 400-kV Muzaffarpur-Baharampur-Bheramara transmission line. Last year, Nepal exported electricity to Bangladesh on November 15, for a single day, as a token to implement the agreement. As per the bilateral agreement reached between Nepal and Bangladesh, Nepal will charge 6.4 US cents per unit of electricity. Bangladesh has agreed to import electricity from Nepal for the next five years.

KEC International bags ₹2,211 crore orders across T&D, cables, pipelines

The orders span transmission lines in Saudi Arabia, cable supply in multiple markets, and a second oil & gas terminal contract in Africa, taking total YTD order inflow past ₹4,200 crore

India's grid gets ready to deal with 'too much' green energy risk

As unprecedented amount of RE flows in, grid managers devise ways to prevent supply disruptions

Power to the people: Need for India to lay more transmission lines

High-voltage direct current transmission systems are central to the country's energy infrastructure

Adani Power Q4 results: Net profit falls 3.7% to ₹2,637 cr, revenue up 6.5%

The electricity producer's net profit was recorded at Rs 2,637 crore, down from Rs 2,737.96 crore a year ago

FinMin prods banks to speed up rollout of Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar scheme

PMSGMBY is a solar energy scheme for both rural and urban households

India's IIP growth recovers to 3% in March, FY25 output at 4-year low

In March 2024, the IIP had grown by 5.4 per cent

Core sector growth rises slightly to 3.8% in March, shows govt data

In March 2024, core sector growth had stood at 6.3 per cent

Govt mulling scheme to lure users to replace old AC with new 5-star models

Consumers may be able to turn in their old units and receive a certificate that can be redeemed while purchasing a new five-star AC, that can save up to ₹6,300 a year in electricity bills

Country saw blackouts under Congress, now exporting electricity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said there were blackouts when the Congress was in power before 2014 but India's power production has doubled in the last decade and it is exporting electricity. Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of a 800-MW ultra critical modern thermal power unit at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant here, the prime minister said Haryana is seeing double speed of the BJP's double-engine government. The thermal power unit, spread across 233 acres and worth around Rs 8,470 crore, is expected to become operational by March 2029. It will significantly boost Haryana's energy self-sufficiency and provide uninterrupted power supply across the state. Taking forward the vision of 'Gobardhan' (Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan), Modi also laid the foundation stone of a compressed biogas plant in Mukarabpur here. The plant, slated for completion by 2027, will have an annual production capacity of 2,600 metric tonnes and will

Heatwaves drove 1/3rd of rise in India's power demand in 2024: Report

India's electricity demand during the severe heatwave months of April to June 2024 rose by 10.4 per cent compared to the corresponding period the year before, with increased use of air conditioning contributing to nearly a third of the rise, according to a new report released on Tuesday. The sixth edition of global energy think tank Ember's Global Electricity Review also said heatwaves were responsible for almost a fifth of the increase in global electricity demand in 2024 and were the main reason behind a 1.4 per cent rise in fossil fuel-based power generation. This led to a 1.6 per cent increase in global power sector emissions, adding 223 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and pushing total emissions to a record high of 14.6 billion tonnes. Without the heat-related demand, fossil generation would have grown just 0.2 per cent, as clean energy met 96 per cent of the demand growth not caused by hotter temperatures, said the report. In India, electricity demand during April-September

SC upholds Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission's open access rules

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the validity of the 2016 regulations of the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) on terms and conditions to regulate open access of power to industrial consumers. A bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Prasanna B Varale dismissed a batch of appeals filed by industrial consumers, including Ramayana Ispat Pvt Ltd, against the Rajasthan High Court decisions from both its Jodhpur and Jaipur Benches. The high court verdicts had upheld the validity of the RERC (Terms and Conditions for Open Access) Regulations, 2016. The key change introduced by the Regulations of 2016 was the imposition of limitations on the simultaneous withdrawal of power through open access and contracted demand from the distribution licensee. Under the new regime, if a consumer opted to procure power through open access, the contracted demand from the distribution licensee would be reduced by the quantum of power scheduled through open access and additionally, t

Punjab power regulator unveils new tariffs, no hike for domestic consumers

Punjab power regulator PSERC on Friday announced a new tariff order for 2025-26 with no hike in electricity charges for domestic consumers. The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission determined the revenue surplus of Rs 311.50 crore after the requisite detailed prudence check even as power utility Punjab State Power Corporation Limited had submitted that it has a revenue deficit of Rs 5,090.89 crore and had requested an increase of tariff accordingly. An official release said in the case of domestic supply and non-residential supply consumers, the three-slab system in the electricity tariff has been converted into the two-slab system without any extra financial load on consumers. "This will help towards easy preparation and consumer-friendly bills," it said. "With the merging of slabs, no consumer will be paying anything extra. Domestic consumers with more than 300 units will be paying lower charges by approximately Rs 160 per month for loads up to 2 kW, Rs 90 a month for .

Steps taken for meeting 277 GW peak power demand in FY26: Shripad Naik

The government has taken steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply and meet the projected peak power demand of 277 GW in 2025-26, Union Minister Shripad Naik said on Thursday. The All India Peak Demand for 2024-25 (till February) was 249.856 GW, registered on May 30, 2024. However, this peak demand was successfully met with only a marginal gap of 2 MW, the Minister of State for Power said in a reply to the Lok Sabha. In 2025-26, Naik said a peak demand of 277 GW is expected as per the mid-term review of the 20th Electric Power Survey. "The country is confident to meet this projected demand with optimal usage of existing and under construction capacities," he said. Besides, all power generation companies, including independent power producers (IPPs) and central generating stations, have been advised to generate and maintain full availability on a daily basis, excluding the period of planned maintenance or forced outage. Planned maintenance of generating units is being minimised .

Adani restores power supply to Bangladesh as regular payments resume

Adani Power Ltd had halved electricity supply to Bangladesh from its 1,600 megawatt coal-fired plant in Jharkhand in November following a series of missed payments by Dhaka

Tata Power DDL partners with Probus to advance smart metering technology

Tata Power Delhi Distribution on Friday said it has collaborated with Probus Smart Things to revolutionize smart metering technology through the adoption of a universal Network Interface Card (NIC) with Bluetooth-enabled communication. As part of this collaboration, Tata Power-DDL and Probus will jointly create innovative use cases to advance smart metering technology and will file joint patents to protect the intellectual property arising from these efforts, the company stated. "This initiative aligns with Tata Power-DDL's vision of providing reliable, efficient, and sustainable solutions for our consumers," Gajanan S Kale, Chief Executive Officer, Tata Power DDL said. The Universal NIC, designed to enhance smart metering capabilities, represents a breakthrough in the energy sector by enabling reliable and efficient communication even in the absence of primary networks. The Universal NIC provides enhanced connectivity as bluetooth-enabled communication ensures meter data collectio

Union Budget 2025-26: Key challenges in power infrastructure outlined

The Budget presents a unique opportunity to revisit some of the key modernisation programmes, said Shardul S Fadnavis, Partner & Utility transformation leader, PwC India

Power producers face loss as CERC bars payment till plants begin ops

Power producers have opposed Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's new norm of not mandating any payments for power they supply to grid before start of commercial production as it may lead to heavy losses. An association of power producers on January 23 wrote to CERC on the new provision for so-called infirm power, seeking a review of the norm. The decision to not pay for infirm power will lead to a huge loss. Thermal power generators can incur an expense to an extent of Rs 1,000 crore during the 6-12 month trial period towards infirm power before they achieve commercial operation of the plant. "All generating stations will face serious financial constraints in conducting the testing and commissioning activities to complete the trial run operation, as there will not be any source of funding for the fuel expenses. Normally, lenders do not fund fuel expenses," the Association of Power Producers wrote to CERC. Earlier, the regulatory regime allowed recovery of some price/cost ..

China's richest regions cut electricity prices to protect industries

The richest coastal provinces have reduced their benchmark thermal power prices by about 10 per cent from last year

MP cabinet approves solarisation of all rural feeders to cut subsidy burden

The solar-powered 11 KV feeders will provide last-mile electricity supply to farms, effectively making it free for farmers