Page 16 - Power Sector

AIPEF demands probe into coal shortage at thermal power plants, imports

All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) on Tuesday demanded an independent enquiry into shortage of coal at various thermal power plants as well as the imports of dry fuel in the country. The engineers' body also said the central government should bear the additional cost of coal imports by power generation utilities, according to an AIPEF statement. It said that certain entities are benefitting from rising coal imports and demand from a number of power producers leads to an increase in the price of the dry fuel in the international market. AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey said the term of reference of the enquiry should include who are the main beneficiaries of coal imports. According to AIPEF, imports of coal have increased after the government has made it mandatory for imported coal based plant to run with full capacity and instructed the domestic coal based plants to increase blending of imported coal from 4 per cent to 6 per cent. In March this year, the government issued

J-K admin to purchase additional 500 MW of power to meet winter demand

The Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) administration on Sunday approved the purchase of an additional 500 megawatts (MW) of power from the Centre to meet the winter demand, according to an official statement.As winter approaches, J-K face electricity scarcity because of a low proportion of hydropower in the Union Territory, as water reduces in rivers.So in order to meet the gap in demand and supply, the administrative council that met here under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha approved the signing of a fresh Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between J & K Power Corporation Limited and the NTPC regarding Singrauli-III power station run by the NTPC, the statement read.This will subside the energy demand in Jammu and Kashmir which is increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 10 per cent.Singrauli-II being a thermal power station is a must-run station and the electricity generated by it fulfils the demand of Jammu and Kashmir during winter when the generation from hydro generators

J-K PDD announces withdrawal of Electricity Duty to alleviate tariff hike

The decision, effective December 1, 2023, comes following the issuance of a new Tariff order by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), Jammu and Kashmir

TPDDL signs MoU with PSSC for developing skill training programmes

Delhi discom TPDDL has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Power Sector Skill Council to jointly undertake skill development training and capacity-building programmes for the power distribution sector in India and abroad, according to a company statement on Thursday. The MoU was signed by Praveen Agrawal, chief human resource, industrial relations, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) and V K Singh, chief executive officer of Power Sector Skill Council (PSSC), it said. The objective of the MoU is to provide a framework for cooperation between TPDDL and PSSC, facilitating the co-creation, development and imparting of courses for training and skill development for personnel in the power industry, state utilities and other organisations, the statement added. Agarwal said, "With a pre-established proficiency in on-site and off-site training domain, this MoU will enhance our training and research capabilities within the power sector with a specific focus on skill ...

Power giant NTPC pays interim dividend of Rs 2,182 crore for FY24

State-owned power giant NTPC on Thursday said it has paid the first interim dividend of Rs 2,182 crore for the fiscal 2023-24. NTPC Ltd paid the first interim dividend of Rs 2,182 crore on November 23, 2023, for the financial year 2023-24, being 22.50 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital of the company, a statement said. According to the statement, this is the 31st consecutive year that NTPC Ltd has paid dividends, underscoring its dedication to providing consistent returns to its investors. As a key player in the Indian energy sector, NTPC Ltd continues to drive excellence, sustainable growth, and shareholder satisfaction through its strategic initiatives and robust financial performance, it stated.

Telangana's power sector, supply to farmers key in heated political battle

24x7 power supply to farmers emerges as a political lightning rod in the state as sparks fly between Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Congress

J-K's Kishtwar to soon emerge as north India's power hub: Jitendra Singh

Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar is all set to emerge as north India's "major power hub" with the generation of around 6,000 MW of electricity after the completion of the ongoing power projects, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday. Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, was on an extensive tour of the remote areas of the hill district of Kishtwar, part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency. He visited Gulabgarh in the Paddar area and the far-off Massu village, where he also inaugurated the new school set up by 'Shiksha Bharti' for village children. The Union Minister, who is also a renowned physician and diabetologist, also participated in the multi-speciality medical camp organised by the Army at Gulabgarh. Six to seven major hydropower projects have come up in the region in a short span of 9 to 10 years ever since Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister," Singh said addressing a public meeting in Gulabgarh. The largest capacity project is

Tata Power Q2FY24 PAT up 6.9% to Rs 876 crore on back of higher revenue

Revenue for the company rose 12.2 percent to Rs 15,738 crore largely driven by higher revenue from core businesses of generation, transmission and distribution

NTPC Group's capacity reaches 73,874 MW after wind unit installation

State-owned power giant NTPC on Saturday said its group installed capacity has reached 73,874 MW after its arm started commercial operations of a 50 MW wind energy unit. "NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, has on Nov 4 declared commercial operation of its first project of 50 MW Wind at Dayapar Project in Gujarat, taking the group installed capacity to 73,874 MW," a company statement said. With this, the total Renewable Energy (RE) operational capacity of NTPC Group stands at 3,364 MW, it said. This is also the first capacity in India declared commercial under the new IEGC code and GNA Regime. The NTPC REL was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC on October 7, 2020 to accelerate NTPC's RE capacity addition. Dayapar Wind is the first project of NTPC REL, and apart from this, there are 15 other RE projects under different stages of execution, totalling 6,210 MW, it stated. Also, Dayapar Wind Complex, when fully commissioned, will add 450 MW to

Adani Power Q2 result: Profit soars 10-fold to Rs 6,594 cr on demand surge

The company's consolidated net profit climbed to 65.94 billion rupees ($792.3 million) in the quarter, helped in part by a tax gain of 13.71 billion rupees

Smart metering infrastructure catches pace as states award mega tenders

Smart meter tenders have gained momentum in states, thanks to the new power distribution reforms scheme of the Centre

Power consumption grows nearly 22% to 138.94 billion units in October

The country's power consumption grew nearly 22 per cent to 138.94 billion units (BU) in October, showing a surge in electricity demand due to festivities and increased economic activities. In the year-ago period, power consumption stood at 113.94 BU, higher than 112.79 billion units recorded in October 2021, according to government data. The peak power demand met -- the highest supply in a day -- rose to 221.62 GW in October. The peak power supply stood at 186.90 GW in October 2022 and 174.44 GW in October 2021. The power ministry had estimated the country's electricity demand to touch 229 GW during summer. The demand did not reach the projected level in April-July due to unseasonal rain. The peak supply, however, touched a new high of 224.1 GW in June before dropping to 209.03 GW in July. Peak demand touched 238.19 GW in August. In September this year, it was 240.17 GW. Industry experts said power consumption was affected in March, April, May, and June this year due to widesprea

JSW Energy joint managing director & CEO resigns, to take early retirement

JSW Energy said Jain will continue to serve in his current position until 31 January 2024 to support an orderly transition

Centre extends mandate on coal import; blending to continue till March 2024

The ministry has invoked Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 again to direct all the ICBs with a cumulative capacity of 17 Gigawatt (Gw) to operate and generate power to their full capacity

Five sectors fuel emissions, half fumble on renewable energy in FY23

The data also revealed a concentration of other critical environmental factors, such as water withdrawal and waste generation

Power consumption grows nearly 8% to 847 bn units in first half of FY24

India's electricity consumption grew nearly eight per cent to about 847 billion units (BU) in the first half of this fiscal year from April to September, showing uptick in economic activities in the country. According to the official data, electricity consumption rose to about 847 BU during April-September 2023 from 786 BU in the same period of the previous fiscal. The industry experts opined that the widespread unseasonal rain in April, May and June has affected the power consumption as it could have grown in double digits in the country. They stated that there was strong recovery of power demand as well as consumption in August onwards due to unusually high humidity level which increased the use of cooling appliances like fans, coolers and air conditioners. They also said power consumption grew in August and September, mainly due to humid weather conditions and also perked up industrial activities ahead of the festive season. The data also shows that peak power demand touched a

Congress alleges corruption in cancellation of Kerala power contracts

The Opposition Congress on Saturday targeted Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the recent cancellation of contracts in the power sector signed during the UDF regime and urged the Left government to probe the "corruption" behind the move. There is "conspiracy and corruption" by the Left government and the state Electricity Regulatory Commission is behind the cancellation of long-term power contracts signed during the time of the previous UDF government, it alleged. Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the assembly V D Satheesan said they won't allow the authorities to impose the liability of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) Limited on the public. The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) had been turned into a government-sponsored body by inducting nominees of the ruling CPI(M), and they had helped the authorities facilitate corruption, he charged. The LoP's statement came days after the state cabinet, chaired by CM Vijayan, decided

Undeterred by ESMA, power company employees continue to strike in MP

Thousands of employees of electricity companies in Madhya Pradesh have defied the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to continue their agitation to press for their demands, including an end to the privatisation of the power sector in the state. A top government official asserted that alternative arrangements have been put in place and there is no hindrance in power supply in the state. The government clamped ESMA two days ago, the senior official said. ESMA is aimed at ensuring the delivery of certain essential services like public transport, health and power and prohibits employees involved in these key services from striking work. Those defying ESMA may faction action as per the rules. The agitating employees belong to six organisations involved in electricity generation, transmission, distribution and power management in MP. According to VKS Parihar, president of the United Forum for Power Employees and Associations, about 30,000 engineers and other employees of these ...

Kerala govt urges CERC to reinstate cancelled contracts in power sector

In a bid to meet the electricity requirements of Kerala, the state government on Wednesday decided to urge the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission to reinstate contracts in the power sector that it previously denied permission to. The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The state government said it would give this direction to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission under Section 108 of the Electricity Act. State Power Minister K Krishnankutty said that the key regulator is legally bound to follow the direction of the state government. "If the direction is being given invoking Section 108 of the Electricity Act, then they are legally bound to accept the direction. We also have the provision for an appeal," Krishnankutty told PTI. In a statement, the CMO said the decision was taken considering public interest and to ensure that the state would not experience a power crisis. Meanwhile, the Kerala State Electricity Bo

Moody's upgrades Tata Power rating to Ba1, maintains stable outlook

According to a report from Moody's, the rating upgrade to Ba1 is driven by Tata Power's solid financial metrics, which are projected to remain above the upgrade trigger set for the earlier Ba2 rating