Page 2 - Power Supply

Power consumption grows 7.5% to 1354.97 bn units in FY23-24 from Apr-Jan

India's power consumption increased 7.5 per cent on-year to 1354.97 billion units (BU) in the April-January period of this financial year, indicating an uptick in economic activities across the country. Power consumption in the country has increased to 1354.97 billion units (BU) in the April-January period of this financial year, from 1259.49 BU in the April-January period of fiscal 2022-23, according to government data. It was 1505.91 BU in the entire fiscal year of 2022-23, the data showed. Experts believe the 7.5 per cent growth in power consumption in the country clearly shows a perk up in economic activities in the first 10 months of this fiscal year. They said power consumption grew in August, September and October, mainly due to humid weather conditions, and a pick-up in industrial activities ahead of the festive season. Experts are predicting a steady power consumption growth due to improvement in economic activities and cold wave conditions in February. They are of the vi

Sterlite Power secures orders worth Rs 1,400 crore in Oct-Dec quarter

Sterlite Power on Tuesday said it has secured new orders worth Rs 1,400 crore during the quarter ended December 2023. These orders from domestic and export markets are for high-performance power conductors, optical ground wire (OPGW) and power cables among others. Further, the company has also received orders for specialized Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services and turnkey EPC for extra high voltage (EHV) and high-voltage (HV) cables in the domestic market, Sterlite Power said. The equipment will be supplied for projects like metro, data center, and power projects. "The order wins are indicative of the growing demand for our product offerings in India and export markets. "With increased focus on decarbonization, our range of high-performance conductors, HV and EHV cables and specialized EPC services for cable transmission, continue to make a significant impact in the energy transition journey," Manish Agarwal, CEO, Global Products & Services business ...

Best of BS Opinion: Power for all, Mutual funds' growing heft & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Govt plans 24x7 electricity supply across the country by March 2025

This will be part of BJP's 'continuous reforms' if voted back to power

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 ...

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

US, Philippines sign nuclear cooperation pact to bolster power supply

The United States and the Philippines have signed a nuclear cooperation pact under which U.S. investment and technologies are to help the Southeast Asian nation transition to cleaner energy and bolster its power supply. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing of the deal by his energy secretary and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. "We see nuclear energy becoming a part of the Philippines' energy mix by 2032 and we are more than happy to pursue this path with the United States as one of our partners, Marcos said at the signing ceremony. He said the pact, known as a Section 123 agreement, would support the development of reliable, affordable and sustainable power in the Philippines. It will also open doors for U.S. companies to invest and participate in nuclear power projects, he said. Blinken said negotiations with the Philippines were completed within

RE sources can meet 65% of world's power supply, 90% by 2050: R K Singh

Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Tuesday said renewable energy sources can supply 65 per cent of the world's total electricity by 2030 and as much as 90 per cent by 2050. Addressing the inauguration of the Sixth Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA), Singh said "Renewable energy sources have the potential to supply 65 per cent of the world's total electricity by 2030 and decarbonise 90 per cent of the power sector by 2050." Currently, he informed that around 80 per cent of the global population resides in countries that depend on fossil fuel imports, totalling a staggering 6 billion people. Singh, who is also president of ISA, stated that the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi also underscored the urgent need for a transition to clean energy. Singh also invited all member countries, ISA Partner Organisations and other organisations present to partner with ISA in making it a catalyst for the transformative change. "Our vision in mind when the ISA ..

JSW Energy makes short-term bets on India's power sector as demand rises

JSW Energy plans to light up the first unit of its Ind-Barath asset this month and the second by the end of FY24

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

CIL's coal supply to power sector rises 3.4% to 294.8 MT during Apr-Sept

Supply of coal to the power sector by state-owned Coal India increased 3.4 per cent to 294.8 million tonnes in the first six months of the current fiscal even as the demand for electricity touched record highs in the past two months, the maharatna firm said on Monday. The total amount of coal supplied was 1.8 MT more than the 293 MT demand projected for this period, Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in a statement. "Compared to the high base of same period last fiscal, the volume increase was 9.7 MT, or 3.4 per cent. This could have been higher if the logistics were eased out and intake not regulated by few consumers," CIL said in a statement. "We were given a supply target of 610 MT to the power sector for FY24. This is about 4 per cent higher than the record 586.6 MT supplied in FY23. We met the prorated demand of coal-fired plants till September-end and expect to meet the annual demand as well," a senior CIL official said. Coal is the largest source of electricity in the country and CIL

Assam govt approves Rs 5,197 cr project for power sector modernisation

The Assam government on Saturday approved a Rs 5,197-crore project to modernise the power distribution infrastructure across the state. The detailed project report for the implementation of the distribution infrastructure work in the power sector got a cabinet nod during the day in its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Total DPR cost for modernisation and system augmentation works is estimated to be Rs 5,196.91 crore," a cabinet communique shared by Sarma on X said. The project for modernising the power distribution system of Assam will be implemented under the Union government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. The cabinet note also said, "The project is targetted to be completed by March 31, 2026 and will benefit approximately 67 lakh electrical consumers across the state." The council of ministers also decided that a power purchase agreement would be executed for 100 MW at rates offered by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), enabling Assam to pro

Powering a shortfall

Old fault lines need to be addressed

Rajasthan elections: BJP to stage protest in state over daily power cuts

Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, claimed that the state produced 23,309MW of power has not been seen anywhere

Ensuring uninterrupted power supply priority for Rajasthan govt: CM Gehlot

Meeting the power demand of domestic and agriculture consumers is a priority for the Rajasthan government which is making all efforts to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said. Gehlot held a review meeting at the Chief Minister's residence late Tuesday night regarding power supply in the state. He instructed the officers that undeclared power cuts should not be done, if the cut is inevitable, proper information should be given to the people of the affected area in advance. The opposition BJP has targeted the Congress government for the deepening power crisis in the state. The chief minister said that due to good rains in June-July, the sowing of crops has increased historically. At the same time, due to the lack of rain in August, the demand for electricity for irrigation also increased. Also, there has been a huge gap between the demand and supply of electricity due to the non-supply of coal from Chhattisgarh and the increase in demand from dome

Tripura CM asks officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the state

The CM further directed the department to play an active role to installing solar panels at GB Pant, IGM, and TMC hospitals

Free power supply to Telangana farmers, discussing more options: Congress

The Congress' Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre on Wednesday said free power supply to farmers will be among the Assembly poll promises of his party and it is considering what more can be provided to them. His comments come in the wake of state Congress president A Revanth Reddy's alleged remarks that three hours of free power is enough for farmers and that round-the-clock free electricity supply is not required. While Reddy, who is currently on a visit to the United States, denied making any such remark, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha and other party leaders in Telangana held protests in Hyderabad against the Congress. Addressing reporters in the national capital, Thakre claimed that BRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) was indulging in "politics of lies" by "misinterpreting" Reddy's remarks to stop the rise of Congress in the state. "The Congress party is with farmers. KCR has said 24x7 free electricity is given for three crops. The ...

Situation has improved: Himachal CM after visiting flood-hit areas of Kullu

Earlier in the day, Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas and said the government is working hard to restore road transport and power supply

Meeting production target, supply to power sector top priority: Coal India

Coal India Ltd (CIL) will work on priority to meet the 780 MT production target for FY24, its new Chairman PM Prasad said on Saturday. Prasad took charge as the Chairman of the mining giant on July 1. He succeeds Pramod Agrawal, who superannuated on June 30, 2023. "Underlining his priority, the chairman said CIL would achieve the 780 million tonne (MT) output target of FY2024 with all efforts and means available at its disposal," a Coal India statement said. In FY 2022-23, CIL produced 703 MT of coal. Ensuring uninterrupted coal flow to the power sector will be another priority area, he said. In his last stint, Prasad was the chairman of CIL's Jharkhand-based arm Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). Coal India, under the Ministry of Coal, has eight subsidiaries in total. He began his CIL career in 1984 as a management trainee at Western Coalfields Limited and served in different capacities across different CIL subsidiaries. He also had a three-year stint in NTPC as Executive Direct

UP to Bihar: Power supply dips in rural areas of some major states

The CEA's data (till February 2023) showed it was 23.7 hours in urban India