Page 3 - Electricity

Strike against discom privatisation in UP may affect power supply: AIPEF

Electricity supply in the country may get affected on July 9 as over 27 lakh power workers will go on a nationwide strike against the government's decision to privatise two distribution companies (discoms) in Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to privatise Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PVVNL) and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (DVVNL), which alone cover 42 of 75 districts of the state, Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of All India Power Engineers' Federation (AIPEF), said. Dubey alleged that Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd and some big officials of the government are in collusion with selected private houses. They want to sell discom assets worth lakhs of crores to private houses at throwaway prices, Dubey alleged. He said "the process is on to float the tender inviting bids from interested parties. We are against this, and over 27 power employees across states will hold a one-day strike in July against the privatisation of the two discoms. The strike

Electricity bills of Delhi consumers to be hiked by 7-10% in May-Jun period

The electricity bills of power consumers in Delhi will be hiked by 7-10 per cent in the May-June period due to revision of PPAC charged by the discoms, officials said on Sunday. The power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) refers to rise in fuel (coal, gas) costs incurred by the generation companies which is recovered by discoms from the consumers. It is calculated as percentage of fixed charge and energy charge (units consumed) components of the electricity bill. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) in its separate orders earlier this month allowed the three discoms to recover the PPAC of third quarter of 2024-25 in the May-June 2024 period. The PPAC allowed are 7.25 per cent for BRPL, 8.11 per cent for BYPL and 10.47 percent for TPDDL. No reaction was available from the discoms on the increase in PPAC allowed by the DERC. The United Residents of Delhi (URD), an umbrella body of residents welfare associations in the city, slammed the move as "arbitrary". "The proces

Spain's power supply almost restored after one of Europe's worst blackouts

Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning as many questions remained about what caused one of Europe's most severe blackouts that grounded flights, paralysed metro systems, disrupted mobile communications and shut down ATMs across Spain and Portugal. By 6:30 am, more than 99 per cent of energy demand in Spain had been restored, the country's electricity operator Red Electrica said. Power had returned to several regions across Spain and Portugal as the nations reeled from the still-unexplained widespread blackout that had turned airports and train stations into campgrounds for stranded travellers. Monday night, many city residents, including in Spain's capital of Madrid, went to sleep in total darkness. The normally illuminated cathedral spires of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia Basilica became indistinguishable from the night sky. Streets remained deserted even in neighbourhoods where lights flickered back on, as people stayed home after a day of chaos. We have a l

Why reliable electricity is vital for healthy beginnings, hopeful futures

Access to quality and reliable healthcare is a fundamental human right

Expanding storage for green energy key to 24-hour electricity in India

There are several energy storage solutions, but more reliable and significant at a grid level are battery storage and Pumped Hydropower Energy Storage

Power planning: Proactive management key to preventing shortages

The Grid Controller of India, the NLDC's parent organisation, has predicted a one-in-three chance of a shortfall in May alone

Cuba suffers another massive power outage, millions left in in dark

Cuba suffered a massive power outage Friday night affecting Havana and the country's provinces that left millions in the dark. Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said at around 8:15 pm local time an outage at the Diezmero substation on the outskirts of Havana had caused a significant loss of generation in western Cuba and, with it, the failure of the National Electric System. The ministry said on its account on the social platform X that it is working on the recovery process. The streets of Havana were dark and empty, with light coming only from the windows of hotels that had generators. Internet service was affected. People in provinces as far away as Guantanamo, Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara reported experiencing blackouts with just flickers of light. Earlier, the Electric Union, the state agency that regulates the sector, said in its daily report that peak-hour demand would be around 3,250 megawatts and the deficit would reach around 1,380 megawatts, meaning 42%

Hot summer likely to boost power demand and lift power utility stocks

The regulated tariff model of NTPC provides clear visibility on revenues, and there could be RoE (return on equity) increases given expansion in both thermal and RE

HVDC a $30 bn market but India barely in the game: Sterlite Power MD

Renewable energy is now the cheapest power source. Companies primarily buy it for cost savings, with environmental benefits as a bonus

Himachal to allocate 22 new hydropower projects of 828 MW capacity: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the state government is set to allocate 22 new hydropower projects with a total capacity of 828 MW. The projects, ranging from 6.5 MW to 400 MW, are located across the districts of Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, and Shimla. He said the largest allocation comprising nine projects with a total capacity of 595 MW is planned for the Chenab river basin. Additionally, eight projects totalling 169 MW are earmarked for the Sutlej river basin, four projects with a combined capacity of 55 MW for the Ravi basin and one project with a capacity of 9 MW for the Beas basin. He said for the first time, the state government would allot these projects to other states, union territories and central and state undertakings. "The projects would be assigned on a 40-year lease with an upfront premium of Rs 10 lakh per megawatt," said the CM. He said that a letter has already been issued by the Energy Directorate to secretaries of states and ..

Solar power projects face higher costs after customs duty notification

Section 58 deals with licensing private bonded warehouses where imported goods belonging to the licensee may be deposited without payment of any Customs duties

Monthly electricity billing for power loom units under consideration: TN CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has said that the monthly electricity billing system for power loom units in the state was under consideration. Stalin made a surprise visit to a private power loom unit here on Thursday night and interacted with the owner and workers of the factory. The owner thanked the CM for increasing the free supply of electricity from 750 units to 1,000 units for the power loom units. He requested the CM to implement the monthly electricity billing system in power looms instead of the once in two months which is in place now. Responding to the request, Stalin said, "Monthly electricity reading system is under the consideration of the Tamilnadu government." Tamil Nadu Housing and Urban Development Minister S Muthusamy and Erode District Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara accompanied the CM to the power loom unit. Later, attending the DMK party functionaries meeting at a marriage hall, Stalin asked the cadres to strive hard to secure a minimum of 200 seats in th

Kerala govt hiked power tariffs to benefit Adani, alleges Opposition

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday accused the Kerala government of hiking the electricity tariff "to benefit ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani" by bringing it into the power purchase system in the state. Chennithala alleged that the long term power purchase agreement signed during the UDF administration in 2016 to buy electricity at rates below Rs 5 per unit was cancelled during the LDF rule to facilitate the entry of Adani into this system. The Kerala government had on Friday announced a 16 paise per unit increase in electricity tariffs for the 2024-25 financial year, effective from December 5. An additional hike of 12 paise per unit is set to follow in the 2025-26 financial year. The Congress leader said this move of the government makes it clear that it was hand-in-glove with the power producing companies, especially Adani. "Adani is the biggest beneficiary of this move. This decision of the government is aimed at bringing Adani into the power purchasing sys

Millions in Cuba remain in dark after blackout as national grid collapses

Cuba blames the crisis on US sanctions, which complicate financial transactions and the purchase of fuel

Power companies should coordinate in electricity production: Khattar

Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar emphasised the need for power companies to coordinate in electricity production and distribution to provide relief to consumers and prevent losses. Addressing the eighth annual Distribution Utility Meet (DUM) conference here, Khattar highlighted that energy would play a critical role in strengthening the economy and achieving India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. "All electricity companies should work together to ensure that consumers aren't overburdened and that companies avoid losses," he said. Khattar also stressed the importance of increasing power generation nationwide and ensuring energy accessibility across all regions. He underlined the need for a greater focus on green and solar energy to reduce carbon emissions, noting that current energy demand is 250 GW and continues to rise. The Union minister suggested states focus on establishing nuclear-based power plants and noted that the government is working toward ...

Indian Energy Exchange electricity trade volumes up 4% at 9,642 MUs in Oct

Indian Energy Exchange's (IEX) total trade volume rose 4 per cent year-on-year to 9,642 million units (MU) in October this year. During the month, the exchange-traded 4.44 lakh renewable energy certificates (RECs), recording a 105 per cent year-on-year increase. It has achieved electricity traded volume of 9,642 million units (MU) in October 2024, marking a 4 per cent year-on-year increase, IEX said in a statement. A total of 4.44 lakh RECs were traded in the trading sessions held on October 9 and 30 at a clearing price of Rs 110/REC and Rs 120/REC, respectively. The Day-Ahead Market (DAM) volume declined 7 per cent to 4,388 MU in October from 4,742 MU volume in the same month last year. The Real-Time Electricity Market (RTM) achieved a monthly volume of 3,123 MU in October 2024 compared to 2,402 MU a year ago, a rise of 30 per cent. IEX Green Market, comprising the Green Day-Ahead and Green Term-Ahead Market segments, achieved 872 MU volume during October 2024 against 188 MU in

V-Guard Q2FY25 results: Net profit increases 7.5% to Rs 63.39 crore

The company's consolidated net revenue from operations for the quarter ended September 30 this year was Rs 1,293.99 crore, marking a growth of 14.1%

ADB commits $241 mn loan to improve power distribution in West Bengal

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 241.3-million loan to improve electricity distribution in West Bengal in order to help enhance people's quality of life by ensuring reliable and sustainable power supply. "This ADB programme is aligned with the government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, which aims to strengthen the operational efficiency of power distribution companies," ADB Principal Energy Specialist Roka Sanda said in a statement. Reliable and sustainable electricity distribution and service is essential to West Bengal's growth and development, the statement said. The West Bengal Distribution System Strengthening Program will improve electricity distribution for 8.96 million consumers in seven districts in the state, it said. The programme will ensure replacement of low-tension overhead lines with aerial bundled cables, separate electricity feeders for agriculture and non-agriculture users, and an integrated information and operation management system fo

Cubans struggle as power not fully restored after days of blackout

Many Cubans were waiting in anguish on Sunday as electricity on much of the island has yet to be totally restored after days of blackout. Some neighbourhoods had electricity restored in Cuba's capital, where 2 million people live, but most of Havana remained dark. The impact of the blackout goes beyond lighting, as services like water supply also depend on electricity to run pumps. People resorted to cooking with improvised wood stoves on the streets before the food went bad in refrigerators. In tears, Ylenis de la Caridad Napoles, mother of a 7-year-old girl, says she is reaching a point of desperation. The failure of the Antonio Guiteras plant on Friday, which caused the collapse of the island's whole system, was just the latest in a series of problems with energy distribution in a country where electricity has been restricted and rotated to different regions at different times of the day. People lined up for hours on Sunday morning to buy bread in the few bakeries that could ..

Adani Energy signs pact to operate electricity transmission lines in Kenya

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani-led conglomerate has signed a pact to build and operate key electricity transmission lines in Kenya for 30 years, the African nation's Cabinet Secretary for Energy Opiyo Wandayi said. Adani Energy Solutions Ltd signed a project agreement with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (Ketraco). "This agreement marks the beginning of a transformative initiative to develop, finance, construct, operate, and maintain key transmission lines and substations across Kenya," he said in a press statement. Kenya faces persistent power blackouts and the projects awarded to Adani are to upgrade the country's transmission infrastructure to ensure reliable power. "As part of this infrastructure development, the project company (AESL) will raise all the funding in the form of debt and equity that will be repaid over the 30-year period of the project agreement," he said. "The project cost, that is currently estimated at Kenyan shilling 95.68 billion (USD 736 ...