Page 4 - Power

DISCOM conducts maintenance of electrical lines to prevent accidents

As a part of a pre-monsoon safety drive, the DISCOM is conducting inspections and maintenance of electrical equipment and lines installed in public areas to minimise the risk of electricity-related incidents here, an official statement said. The drive aimed to ensure the safety of DISCOM consumers was carried out in view of the two deaths due to electrocution in Delhi within a span of 48 hours. As a part of the ongoing preventive maintenance activity, the DISCOM is conducting tree trimming exercises in the vicinity of electrical installations, poles, and overhead lines to prevent leakage current and power interruption, it said. According to the statement, DISCOM has recently conducted leakage testing of 9,154 poles, 300 PWD/MCD poles, 66 ATMs, and 81 streetlight poles installed in MCD and DDA parks, and the same drive shall be continued. Due attention is being given to ensuring the healthiness of the earthing of electrical installations. "The DISCOM has also carried out safety aud

Centralised Cell to be set up for sale and purchase of power: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government would come up with a policy to attract private sector investment in the hydropower sector and a centralized cell will be set up for efficient management of sale and purchase of power to increase revenue, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Friday. Hydropower development is the key engine to the economic growth of the State as it makes a direct and significant contribution to the economy in terms of revenue generation, employment opportunities and enhancing the quality of life, he said in a statement issued here. It also aims to harness and commission 10,000 MW of hydro and renewable energy by 2030 to have an operational capacity of around 21,000 MW. Sukhu said that apart from power generation, the government was laying special focus on its distribution and sale of electricity. The State Government is laying stress on prioritizing revenue generation for the Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (HPPTCL) through its ...

NHDC to construct 525 MW pumped storage power project in Khandwa, MP

The power ministry said the project is being executed to meet the increasing peak-hour demand for energy in Madhya Pradesh

Telangana spends Rs 12k-cr per year to give free power to farmers: CM KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said his government has been spending Rs 12,000 crore annually for providing free power to farmers in the state. Speaking at a public meeting here, the Chief Minister said the food processing industry will be a focus area after the Assembly polls in Telangana. "In order to strengthen the farming community and make agriculture a fruitful venture and see smiles on farmers' faces, the government is spending Rs 12,000 crore annually to provide free power to you (farmers)," Rao, also known as KCR, said. He cautioned the people not to entertain opposition parties stating that if they come to power, then BRS' flagship schemes like free power, 'Rythu Bandhu' financial aid for farmers and 'Dalit Bandhu' for Scheduled Caste members to start enterprises will all go away. "People should decide whether the party which will abolish these schemes should come into power or we (BRS) should continue," he said addressing the people at the ...

Power consumption grows marginally by 1.04% to 136.56 bn units in May

Power consumption rose marginally by 1.04 per cent to 136.56 billion units in May this year as widespread rains have kept summer temperature under check so far and people used fewer cooling appliances compared to last year. In the year-ago period, power consumption stood at 135.15 billion units (BU), higher than 108.80 BU in May 2021, according to government data. The power consumption was also affected in March and April this year due to widespread rains in the country. Experts said that unseasonal rains in March, April and May affected the power consumption in the country. The power ministry has estimated the country's electricity demand to touch 229 GW during this summer season. But the demand has not reached the projected level during April-May this year mainly due unseasonal rains. Rains reduced the demand for electricity as people used fewer cooling appliances compared to the previous year, according to experts. Further, experts are hopeful that power consumption and demand

Vietnam govt approves plan to cut power output from coal-fired plants

The Vietnamese government has approved a plan that needs $134.7 billion to reduce coal-fired electricity generation and improve the country's power grid by 2030

Rajasthan facing power crisis due to failure of state govt: Union minister

Union Minister of State for Power Krishan Pal Singh on Tuesday said that the people of Rajasthan are facing a power crisis due to the failure of the state government. He said that there is no shortage of electricity in the country as in the neighbouring state Haryana, 24 hours electricity is being made available in the villages and cities. "The production of electricity in the country is double its consumption. There is no shortage of electricity. The centre is ready to provide as much electricity as Rajasthan wants, but due to the failure of the state government, the people of Rajasthan are facing a power crisis," the minister told reporters here. He was here to take part in an 'unemployment fair' under which 71,000 appointment letters in different government departments were given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing. "In the neighbouring state of Haryana, 24-hour electricity is available in the villages and cities. Then why is the crisis in Rajasthan only?

Electricity in Punjab to cost more, opposition leaders slam the move

Electricity rates are set to go up in Punjab with the power regulator PSERC announcing an increase in power tariff by 25 to 80 paise per unit for different categories of consumers. Opposition parties Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal slammed the move, saying it was the AAP government's "first gift" to people two days after it won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll. Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission Monday announced a new tariff order for 2023-24. The new tariff order will be applicable with effect from May 16. Shortly after the PSERC decision, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the revised tariff would not impact the common man as the increase would be borne by the government for free power to domestic category consumers and farmers. As domestic consumers get 300 units per month of free electricity, any increase in charges will be borne by the state government. Meanwhile, electricity consumers consuming over 300 units per month will have to bear the burden on account o

Renewable energy's future in India to depend on innovation: Official

Future of renewable energy in India will depend on innovations and storage cost, stressed a top government official pointing towards unviable price of storing energy at present. This assumes significance in view of India's ambitious target of having 500 GW renewable energy by 2030. "The future of (renewable) energy is totally dependent on innovations and storage cost coming down, less space (for energy storage), utilize high energy density, and materials (used to produce energy storage), which are available safe for us," said Advisor to Prime Minister of India, Tarun Kapoor addressing at a conference 'India Energy Storage Week' here. Referring to recent tenders on energy generation bundled with storage, he pointed out that the energy price was some Rs 11 per unit (including Rs 2.5 per unit cost of solar energy in addition to charges for storage). He noted that currently, renewable energy is 22-23 per cent (of total amount fed into the grid). He was of the view that renewable energ

Relevance of hard power reaffirmed with Russia-Ukraine conflict: Army Chief

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has proved false the assumption of future wars being short and swift, and the relevance of "hard power" stands reaffirmed, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande said and stressed on indigenisation of defence production and technological development. In his address at the 'PHDCCI DEF X TECH INDIA 2023' on Wednesday, he warned about the "legacy of unsettled borders" that India has and highlighted the "grey-zone aggression" concept, saying it is increasingly becoming a preferred strategy for conflict resolution. "The current Russia-Ukraine conflict provides some very valuable pointers. The relevance of hard power stands reaffirmed with land continuing to be the decisive domain of warfare and notion of victory still being land centric," he said while talking about the lessons learnt from the conflict. "The suppositions on duration of war I think needs to be reevaluated. Short, swift war which we have been talking of for some time now may prove to be a false ...

More steam left in NTPC stock; to be key beneficiary of rising power demand

India's largest generator will be a key beneficiary of increasing power demand, access to coal supply and focus on renewable energy

Peak power demand in Delhi likely to reach 8,000 MW in late June-July

Delhi government's power department has predicted that the peak load of the national capital may reach 8000 MW in late June or early July, an official statement said on Monday. Cabinet Minister Kailash Gahlot chaired a series of separate meetings with the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Power department, said an official statement. He discussed and reviewed various projects of the PWD and the 'Summer Action Plan' of the Power department. Gahlot chaired a separate review meeting with Discoms and Power department officials to assess the 'Summer Action Plan' for the uninterrupted supply of electricity during the upcoming summer season in Delhi. Senior officers from Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES) Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL) and Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), TATA Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) and Power Department were part of the meeting. During the meeting, DTL highlighted that the peak load of 7,695 MW was reached in Delhi in June 2

Power prices likely to remain firm next fiscal amid higher demand: Crisil

Power prices are expected to remain firm next fiscal on the back of elevated demand growth of 5.5-6 per cent, and the demand is set to close this fiscal up 9.5-10 per cent over 8.2 per cent last fiscal, a report said on Thursday. The fears of a heat wave has seen the short-term power prices soaring by a full 151 per cent. This was on the back of a 42 per cent on-year spike in prices in February, Crisil said in a report. The demand growth would mark a decadal high rate of growth and almost double the 20-year average of 5.2 per cent, the report added. The report noted that demand growth weighed in at 7.7 per cent in February and averaged 10 per cent for the 11 months of the current fiscal despite a high base of fiscal 2022 due to extreme weather events and robust industrial and manufacturing activity. March is unlikely to see any let up amid early warnings on possible heat waves in northern and central regions this summer, the report said. According to Hetal Gandhi, a director with

5-judge Constitution Bench starts hearing Delhi vs Centre power dispute

State list is like concurrent list for Delhi, observes CJI Chandrachud

Delhi's peak power demand clocks 4,803 MW, season's highest: Officials

Delhi's peak power demand clocked 4,803 MW on Monday, the highest this season, according to officials. The highest peak power demand comes amid plummeting mercury levels in the city. At 4,803 MW recorded at 10.22 am, Delhi's peak power demand this year is more than the peak power demand clocked in December 2021 and December 2020. "Green power will play an important role in meeting the power demand in the BSES areas in the winter months. Apart from the long-term agreements with power-plants, including hydro and Delhi-based gas fuel-generating stations, the BSES is also receiving 840 MW of solar power from SECI, 439 MW of wind power...," a BSES official said in a statement. "It is also being helped by 127 MW+ of rooftop solar power installed on rooftops in South, West, East and Central Delhi," he added. Apart from these, the BSES discoms are using avenues such as "banking" and "power exchange" and ensuring sufficient "spinning reserves" to dispose of surplus power as well as ensurin

Heavy snow in Japan kills 17; dozens injured, homes left without power

Heavy snow in large swaths of Japan has killed 17 and injured more than 90 people and left hundreds of homes without power, disaster management officials said Monday. Powerful winter fronts have dumped heavy snow in northern regions since last week, stranding hundreds of vehicles on highways, delaying delivery services and causing 11 deaths by Saturday. More snowfall over the Christmas weekend brought the number of dead to 17 and injured to 93 by Monday morning, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Many of them had fallen while removing snow from the roofs or were buried underneath thick piles of snow sliding off rooftops. Municipal offices in the snow-hit regions urged residents to use caution during snow removal activity and not to work alone. The disaster management agency said a woman in her 70s was found dead buried underneath a thick pile of rooftop snow that suddenly fell on her in Yamagata prefecture's Nagai City, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of ..

Winter storm batters US power, snarling Christmas travel plans

A battering winter storm left nearly 2 million homes and businesses without power across the United States on Saturday, as millions more people were left to worry how the prospect of further outages would effect holiday and travel plans. The blinding blizzards, freezing rain and frigid cold that enveloped much of the country knocked out power to 1.7 million households and businesses, while major electricity grid operator warned the 65 million people it serves across the eastern US that rolling blackouts might be required. Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection said power plants are having difficulty operating in the frigid weather and has asked residents to refrain from unnecessary use of electricity. It issued an emergency call for conservation system-wide - asking residents in 13 states to set thermostats lower than usual, to postpone use of major appliances like stoves and dishwashers and to turn off nonessential lights. Commercial and industrial power users have also been asked

PTC India appoints Mohammad Afzal as power ministry nominee director

Power trading solutions provider PTC India on Tuesday said Mohammad Afzal has been appointed as power ministry nominee director on its board. Afzal's appointment has been approved by the board in a circular resolution on December 12, 2022. He is a Joint Secretary (Transmission) in Ministry of Power. "Mohammad Afzal, has been appointed as Nominee Director of Ministry of Power, Government of India on the Board of PTC India with effect from December 12, 2022," a BSE filing stated. He has no relationship with any of the directors of PTC and is not debarred from holding the office of Director by virtue of any order of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) or any other such authority, it stated. Afzal holds M.E. (First with Honours) in Power System Engg. degree from the then University of Roorkee (Now, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee). He joined Central Electricity Authority in November 1996 and has served in various divisions like System Engg. & Technology Division, ...

Adani Power extends timeline to Dec 31 for complete acquisition of DB Power

Adani Power on Monday said that the timeline for the completion of the Rs 7,017-crore deal to acquire thermal power assets of DB Power Ltd has been extended by one month till December 31, 2022. Earlier, the company had extended the timeline for completion by a month till November 30, 2022. "Parties to the proposed transaction have mutually agreed to further extend the long stop date as December 31, 2022, for achieving the closing/completion," a BSE filing said. Earlier in August this year, Adani Power had informed the bourses that it has agreed to acquire DB Power Ltd (DB Power), which owns and operates a running 2x600 MW thermal power plant at district Janjgir Champa in Chhattisgarh. DB Power has long and medium-term power purchase agreements for 923.5 MW of its capacity, backed by fuel supply agreements with Coal India Ltd, and has been operating its facilities profitably. The initial term of the MOU (memorandum of understanding) shall be till October 31, 2022, which may be exte

MSEDCL raids reveal developer stole 80,000 units power worth Rs 33.43 lakh

A developer in Ambernath in Thane district has allegedly stolen power worth Rs 33.43 lakh at three construction sites, a Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) official said on Friday. The raids were conducted after a tip off was received that he had stolen electricity between March last year and November this year using a remote control device, the official added. "He has stolen 80,387 units of power worth Rs 33,43,970. An offence is being registered with the local police," the official said.