Power

THERMAL

Coal based power generation registered 16.28% growth in Nov 22

India’s total coal production increased by 11.66% to 75.87 Million Ton (MT) from 67.94 MT during November, 2022 as compared to November 2021. As per the latest figures of the Ministry of Coal, Coal India Ltd (CIL) registered a growth of 12.82 %, whereas Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and captive mines /others registered a growth of 7.84 % and 6.87% respectively. Of the top 37 mines in coal production as many as 24 mines produced more than 100 per cent and the production of five mines stood between 80 and 100 per cent. The power utilities despatch has increased by 3.55% to 62.34 MT during Nov'22 as compared to 60.20 MT the previous year.Coal-based power generation has registered a growth of 16.28% in Nov'22 as compared to Nov'21and overall power generation in Nov'22 has been 14.63% higher than the power generated in Nov'21. Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said the nation's energy security is important and the country would still need around 1.5 billion tonnes of coal even if 50 per cent of energy demand is met through renewable sources. As a result, there was no need to worry about the future of dry fuel, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said. While the total coal production from the domestic sources will be 1 billion tonnes, the total demand would be 1,300-1,400 million tonnes, he added.

The power demand, he said, will double by 2040.Maharashtra Chief Minister EknathShinde said that the state is focused on making Maharashtra mining intensive investor-friendly hub in Vidarbha and Konkan regions.it will encourage mineral-friendly industries in these regions, he added.He made a plea to the coal ministry to start a coal research institute in Maharashtra on similar lines to the one started in Jharkhand. He also said that the re-starting of 20 closed mines in Maharashtra by the Centre has created job opportunities in the region.

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We will stop importing Coal for power generation by 2024-25, says Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi

Being a Coal Minister is not easy in any part of the world. There is pressure from the green activists to shut down mines, and there is pressure from the human rights activists to protect the livelihood of coal miners. Pralhad Joshi, Minister for Coal and Mines in India, faces a similar dilemma every day. While he has been very vocal about the fact that coal production and consumption in India will continue to grow for next two decades, he realises that his ministry has to align with the green targets India committed to at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Talking about India’s energy security needs, in an interaction with Outlook Business, Joshi lays out his ministry’s plans to make coal mining sustainable. Edited excerpts: As the Coal Minister, what is your biggest challenge when it comes to protecting India's energy security? It is important to keep in mind the issue of emission and global warming when looking at energy security. Given the emission target that PM Modi has provided, balancing both is a difficult task, but we have been making progress. While coal gasification is happening on one side, we are also focusing on plantation and reuse of mine water for irrigation. Despite having so much coal reserves in India, we are still having to import from other countries, and I want to stop that. As far as thermal power is concerned, we will stop importing coal by 202425. We have to achieve sustainability without letting go of energy security. One of the best solutions for this would be gasification. We are also providing incentives in commercial coal mining. This includes 50 per cent as far as revenue sharing is concerned, and an additional Rs 6,000 crore incentive for those want to participate in gasification.

Single-day peak power demand to increase by up to 35,000 MW in April: Power minister

The single-day peak demand for power is expected to increase by up to 35,000 MW in April 2023 and the government has started preparations to meet the same, Union minister R K Singh said. Speaking to PTI, the minister for power, new & renewable energy said he is taking up a meeting this evening to review the preparation of the expected demand which will be seen in April next year. According to official figures, the maximum allIndia power demand met at 2:51 pm in April 2022 was 201.066 GW.The single-day demand is expected to grow by 30,000 MW to 35,000 MW in April, Singh said on the sidelines of the launch of 'Plan on Transmission System for integration of 500-MW non-fossil Fuel Capacity by 2030'."Today, on a daily basis the demand is 20,000 MW-25,000 MW more over the corresponding day last year. The meeting is about what will be the demand in April and how prepared we are to meet that," he said. Power Secretary Alok Kumar, Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Ghanshyam Prasad besides other government officials are part of the meeting, the minister said.

PFC inks pacts with Power Ministry for FY 2022-23

The Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFCL) the largest government owned NBFC and a Maharatna CPSE, struck a deal with the Power Ministry on Tuesday for FY 2022-23 in line with the

DPE guidelines. PFCL CMD, Ravinder Singh Dhillon, signed the agreement power ministry secretary, Alok Kumar at a brief function attended by Power Ministry, Special Secretaries, Ashish Upadhyaya, Ajay Tewari, Additional Secretary, Piyush Singh, Joint Secretary, PFC’s finance director, Parminder Chopra and PFC project director, Rajiv RanjanJha. Set up in 1986, PFC now is considered the largest government owned NBFC in India. In 2021, it became the first CPSE to be accorded the prestigious Maharatna status in the financial space. PFC has been showing a strategic shift in its loan portfolio with focus on the renewables space, setting itself as one of the largest funding agencies for renewables in the country. Recently, the company got its MoA changed to fund the infrastructure and logistics space as well. It is a key partner to the Central Government for implementation of several schemes such as Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), Liquidity Infusion Scheme under Atmanirbhar Bharat, Late Payment Surcharge Rules (LPS), Independent Transmission Projects (ITPs) etc and has been one of the highest dividend paying companies.

Loans of Rs 7.62 trillion provided to thermal power plants in India: Report

Loans amounting to Rs 7.62 lakh crore have been provided by 84 lenders, both national and international, to thermal power projects in India, with a capacity of 1,000 MW and above between 2005-2022, a new report said.The report, The Coal Tail: Tracking Investments in Coal fired Thermal Power Plants in India, by the Centre for Financial Accountability comes at the heels of COP27, which concluded on November 20 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, where India announced its Long-Term Low Emissions and Development Strategies. Moreover, India has recently assumed the presidency of the G20 Summit this month, which will have some focus on energy transition.The report analysed data for 140 thermal power plants (TPPs) between 2005-2022 of which 122 were commissioned and 18 were in the construction phase and spread across 16 states/UTs. The 122 plants account for almost 196 GW of the 204 GW total commissioned capacity during this timeframe, with 122 GW publicly held whereas 73 GW is privately-owned. "Information about financing is indispensable to any scrutiny of project feasibility not only in terms of efficiency and requirement, but also the environmental and social impacts that accompany such projects. Yet, such information is rarely accessible to the public. This inaccessibility exists mainly due to lack of transparency and astute use of fiduciary relationships between bank and client," said Kenneth Gomes, author of the report and Data Analyst at Centre for Financial Accountability."This report intends to remove this asymmetry and make such information available publicly to encourage demands for accountability from financial institutions."

SCCL thermal power station emerges as No. 1 in the country

The Singareni Thermal power plant (STPP) in Jaipur of Mancherial has emerged as the number one thermal power station during the last eight months in 2022-2023. According to an official press release, till November 30, 2022, the 1200 MWs STPP has generated 6,385 million units of power at a plant load factor (PLF) of 90.86 which is the highest PLF among all the 250 and odd power stations of the governmentowned and private in the country.A report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report, the 2,600 MWs NTPC Korba in Chattisgarh state secured second place with a PLF of 90.01 per cent and 2000 MWs NTPC Singrauli secured third place with a PLF of 89.94 per cent. Commissioned in the year 2016, the STPP with a capacity of 1,200 MW has achieved 100 per cent PLF on several occasions. It had so far generated 51,547 million units of power. Appreciating the power plant’s progress, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao sanctioned another

800 MWs plant on the same premises in Jaipur. Singareni chairman and managing director.N Sridhar said that SCCL was taking all measures to generate 3,000 MWs of power by the year 2026. Already, they were generating 1200 MWs of thermal power and 219 MWs of solar power. The Singareni would add 800 MWs of the thermal power plant and generate 1,000 MWs of solar power by installing floating solar panels in all major reservoirs in the state and achieve the milestone of 3,000 MWs of power by 2026.

Nitish Kumar calls for "one nation, one power tariff" policy

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called for a 'one nation, one power tariff' policy, stating that some states have to purchase power at a higher rate than others.Unveiling Power Department projects worth 15,871 crore, he said Bihar gets electricity from the central government's power plants at a higher rate compared to other states. "All states are actively participating in the inclusive growth of the country. I have said several times in the past that there should be a 'one nation, one power tariff' policy. Why are some states purchasing power at higher rates from the generation units of the central government? A uniform electricity rate across the country should be there," Mr Kumar said.He said that his government has decided to install smart prepaid electricity meters in the state to ensure transparency. "We give subsidies to our power consumers. We purchase electricity at a much higher rate and provide our consumers at a much lower rate. I am least bothered about those who talk of providing free electricity," the chief minister said, when questioned about such schemes in other states. Mr Kumar said that his government ensured electricity connection to every household of the state in October 2018."When we got an opportunity to serve the people of Bihar in 2005, the electricity consumption in the state was just 700 mw. Now, it has gone up to 6,738 mw," he said.

Reduction in AT-C losses improves the finances of the utilities: Power ministry

The reduction in aggregate technical and commercial (AT and C) losses improves the finances of the utilities, which will enable them to better maintain the system and buy power as per requirements, benefiting the consumers, the ministry of power said. The Ministry said in a statement said that AT and C losses and average cost of supply and average realisable revenue (ACS-ARR) gap are key indicators of a discom’s performance. In the last two years, the AT and C loss of the discoms of the country was hovering at 21-22 per cent. The Ministry instituted a number of measures to improve the performance of utilities, according to the statement.Aggregate technical and commercial (AT and C) losses of discoms declined significantly to 17 per cent in 2021-22 (FY22) whereas the gap between average cost of supply and average realizable revenue declines from Rs 0.69/kWh in FY21 to Rs 0.22/ kWh in FY22. Preliminary analysis of data for FY22 of 56 discoms contributing to more than 96 per cent of input energy, indicates that the AT and C losses of discoms have declined significantly to 17 per cent in FY22 from 22 per cent in FY21,” the ministry said.The Ministry of Power said the reduction in AT&C losses had resulted in reduction in the gap between average cost of supply (ACS) and average realisable revenue (ARR). “The decline of 5 per cent in AT&C losses and 47 paise in the ACS-ARR gap in one year is the result of a number of initiatives taken by the ministry of power.

Power Minister forms sub-committee to look into DSM grievance

Union Power Minister R K Singh has assured the renewable energy industry of help over the industry’s grievances over the new ‘deviation settlement mechanism’ (DSM) guidelines. In

a meeting with the industry representatives on December 1, Singh said he would form a subcommittee to look into the issue, industry sources who attended the meeting. The Wind Independent Power Producers’ Association (WIPPA), a body of wind energy companies, has taken the government and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to Delhi High Court over the DSM guidelines. The new guidelines drastically narrow the band within which energy companies will not be penalized for deviating from the power supply schedules they would have given to the grid operator on the previous day.Singh assured the industry that the sub-committee would come up with an amicable solution before the first hearing of the case, sources said. On the back of this assurance, the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), an association of solar energy companies, has decided not to implead itself in the case, the CEO of the Federation, MrSubrahmanyamPulipaka, told business line.

Tata Power announces Rs 6,000 crore investment in Odisha

Tata Power CEO and MD Praveer Sinha announced aRs 6,000 crore capital investment by the company in Odisha. Speaking at the Make in Odisha Conclave, Sinha said the four power discoms of Odisha, where Tata Power has a majority stake, are committed to Rs 6,000 crorecapex investment in the next five years.Sinha said the company will also set up 1,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points, 1,00,000 solar pumps, micrograms, rooftop and floating solar plants in the next five years. He welcomed the Odisha government’s Renewable Energy Policy 2022 unveiled at the Make In Odisha Conclave here.The Tata Power CEO said the company has been engaged in power distribution across Odisha and is committed to ensure ease-of-doing business through quality power supply.

Power giant NTPC begins hunt for investors for its subsidiary to raise capital

State-owned power giant NTPC has begun the hunt for investors to raise capital for its subsidiary NTPC Green Energy Ltd. According to a report by PTI news agency, a source said that NTPC Green Energy might get an investor by March 2023."NTPC is in the process of roping in a strategic investor for its subsidiary NTPC Green Energy Ltd. The company wants to raise 2,000 crore to 3,000 crore through this transaction, which is likely to be completed during this fiscal year or by March 2023," the agency wrote citing a source. Further, the report mentioned that some pension funds, equity investors, and big firms had evinced their interest to invest in NTPC Green Energy Ltd.In view of NTPC's plan to have 60 GW capacity through RE (Renewable Energy) sources, constituting nearly 45% of its overall power generation capacity by 2032, the company would require over 2.5 lakh crore to achieve this ambitious target in the next one decade. NTPC, under the ministry of power, is the country's largest power-producing company. The company supplies one-fourth of the total electricity in the country. At present, the NTPC has a commissioned renewable energy capacity of 2,332 MW. Overall, the installed power generation capacity, including fossil-fuel based, of the NTPC Group (including joint ventures and subsidiaries) stands at 70,254 M. The government has set the target of having 500 GW of power generation capacity from clean sources like solar, wind, and hydro plants by 2030.Last month, Union power minister R K Singh on Friday directed NTPC to more than double its capacity by 2030.Singh said that NTPC must contribute at least 25% to the 800 GW level.NTPC must increase its capacity as the power demand will continue to grow in India and the company must eye for a larger share of the market, he said.

RENEWABLES

Power Min waives inter-state transmission charges for new hydro projects

The Power Ministry on Friday announced a waiver of inter-state transmission charges on wheeling electricity for 18 years for new hydropower projects.The waiver is already available to solar and wind power projects. The government has set an ambitious plan to have 500 GW of generation capacity from non-fossil energybased sources by 2030. Hydropower projects, being clean, green and sustainable will be of paramount importance in our clean energy transition journey. They are also essential for the integration of solar and wind power, which are intermittent in nature, the ministry said.In acknowledgement of the inherent qualities of hydro-power, the government declared hydropower projects as a renewable source of power in March 2019.However, the waiver of inter-state transmission charges, provided to solar and wind projects, had not been extended to hydropower projects. The ISTS charges shall be levied for transmission of power from hydro-power projects where construction work is awarded and PPA is signed after June 30, 2025.For the hydropower project whose construction work is awarded and PPA is signed between July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, 25 per cent of ISTS charges will be applicable. For a project whose construction work is awarded and PPA is signed between July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, 50 per cent of ISTS charges will be applicable while for projects whose construction work is awarded and PPA is signed between July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028, 75 per cent of ISTS charges will be applicable.

SECI calls pre-bid meeting of solar module manufacturers to set

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has called for a pre-bid meeting or selection of solar module manufacturers for setting up manufacturing capacities for high efficiency modules in India under tranche-II of the production -linked incentive (PLI) scheme.The meeting, scheduled for 6 December 2022 , will be held under the chairmanship of the renewable energy minister, R K Singh. Earlier this month, SECI invited online bids for selection of module manufacturers for setting up domestic capacities under the second phase of the PLI scheme. The selected manufacturer will have to set up gigawatt scale capacities. “With the objective to promote setting up of integrated plants for better quality control and competitiveness, the bidder shall commit minimum integration across solar cells and modules,” said the earlier bid document. Based upon the extent of integration proposed, the bidder can bid for any one of the three baskets: Polysilicon-ingots-wafers-cells-modules, ingots-wafers-cells-module, Funds allotted for each category is Rs 12,000 crore, Rs 4,500 crore, and Rs 3,,000 crore, respectively.

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Amazon to set up 300 MW solarwind hybrid projects in India

Amazon has said it will set up two wind-solar hybrid projects, based in Madya Pradesh and Karnataka, with a total capacity of 300 MW of renewable energy (RE).Considered to be one of the largest wind-solar hybrid corporate power purchase agreements (PPA) by a technology company in India, the project is being done with Vibrant Energy, a subsidiary of portfolio Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG), the company said. “Once operational, these projects are expected to generate 1,163,000 MWh of clean energy, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 380,000 averagesized households in New Delhi each year,” it said in a statement. Combined with three solar farms in Rajasthan, Amazon now has five utility-scale RE projects in

India, representing more than 720 MW capacity, the company added.“We are on a path to powering our operations globally with 100 per cent RE by 2025 and have worked with government and industry stakeholders in India to unlock more corporate RE procurement. This year, we have reached over 720 MW of RE capacity through utility-scale projects in India,” Amazon India Director Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain and Global Specialty Fulfilment said. Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon across its business by 2040 and is on a path. The e-commerce giant claims it is the world’s largest corporate buyer of RE with over 380 projects across 22 countries.

Tata Power eyes five-fold hike in green energy capacity by 2030

Tata Power, the integrated power company of the Tata Group, is looking to take its renewable energy capacity to 25 gigawatt by 2030 — a near 5x increase from the current 5.6 GW — which will be primary driven by solar sector. The company, which is moving towards becoming a businessto-customer company rather than just a power producer, has installed capacity of 3,870 MW and 1,790 MW is under various stages of implementation. “Our target is to add 2 GW every year, and by 2030 we aim to reach 25 GW. We are very much on track, maybe some delays of a quarter or two, but directionally we are on track,” Praveer Sinha, managing director and CEO, Tata Power told FE.Sinha expects renewables and the customer-oriented business — distribution, rooftop solar, micro-grid and solar pumps, home automation and EV charging — to increase their contribution to revenue in coming years. He said that through its energy management services, the company is helping consumers with both products and solutions to be more energy efficient. “We are working on an app which will give consumers the ability to control the usage of equipments in their homes the way and when they want and also monitor their usage. Several energy consumer solutions are also in the works,” he said.

Jharkhand plans solar power in 200 villages by 2023

With Giridih gearing up to become the state's first solar city, the Jharkhand government has set an ambitious target of equipping 1,000 villages with solar lights across the state under Jharkhand State Solar Policy 2022 of which 200 villages will be solarized in the first phase by 2023.Chief minister Hemant Soren's office in a communique said the move will boost to rural economy, improve the quality and reliability of solar power, enhance rural income generation, strengthen education and health services and provide a host of employment opportunities by integrating solar power into the rural economy. "As a first step, Giridih is being developed as a solar city. Here, a total of 17 MW capacity units are being set up for domestic consumers, 5 MW for commercial sector rooftop power plants, 1 MW for solar street lights and 18 MW for ground-mounted solar power plants. In the first phase, the process of installing 5 MW rooftop panels for domestic consumers is on."Officials added that under the policy, the state energy department is working on modalities of electrifying villages through community-based solar installation. "For this, attempts are on to remove all the deterrents by converting key establishments in rural areas like health centers, schools and police stations solar-powered. This will also help energy generation which can be used to light up local shops, help agricultural-related activities and powering medium and small scale industries to bypass traditional electricity requirements," the statement said.

India's EV revolution could bear fruit by 2030, survey shows

A private consumer expectation survey showed that around 66% of Indians said that electric vehicles will surpass petrol and diesel cars by 2030.The survey, conducted by ACKO and YouGov India, also showed that a majority of Indian consumers, around 57%, want to invest in EVs

because of their practical benefits while 56% want to purchase an EV because it is good for the environment. A majority of respondents, 60%, believe that India's current public infrastructure is not equipped to support electric vehicles and feel the need for drastic improvement. However, the survey also revealed that 89% of the respondents think India will be infrastructural ready for EVs by 2030.Experts and analysts over the last few years have highlighted the poor infrastructure supporting EVs in India as the primary reason behind the lower penetration of EVs in the country. "Among the intenders, 62% are concerned about rising fuel prices, and 57% of them are interested in the latest technology. 51% said that using an EV has lower running costs compared to petrol and diesel cars. In fact, 48% of the owners said EVs are more cost-efficient per mile than traditional cars," a statement read.63% of the survey's respondents did not know that sand is the most convenient solution for putting out an EV fire. "For example, 66% assume that battery life only lasts between 2 to 5 years. The good news is that 8 in 10 correctly recognize that charging behavior has a role in the EVs battery life."

West Bengal: Government hopes for zero subsidy with EVs

The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) hopes to operate without subsidy in the future with EV being 66% cheaper than diesel-run buses. The WBTC aims to replace its entire diesel guzzling fleet with clean-fuel or battery-run buses by 2030."Since fuel price is almost 60% of the operation cost of a bus, electric buses will be a big saver. If it costs Rs 45 per km for a diesel bus, it is Rs 15 or less than that for an electric bus. Since the government subsidizes the common man commute costs to a great extent, we cannot raise fares. But if it is EV, the WBTC can manage to stay afloat with this fare," said WBTC managing director, RVS Kapur at CII Energy Conclave 2022 in the city. Kapur was honoured by CII for excellence in EV policy implementation. "Under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles- II (FAME-II), Kolkata is the recipient of the biggest fleet of 1,080 buses - this is the number of electric buses possessed by the entire South America. Under the operating expenses or opex model, the Bengal government has not paid a single penny. It has committed to pay an amount per km. The maintenance and driver's cost will be the responsibility of the operator - the manufacturer of these buses. Here it is Tata Motors," said Sudhendra J Singh, advisor, NITI Aayog.

'Shortfall in 2022 wind energy target due to supply chain disruptions, Covid'

Supply chain disruptions, change in tariff regime and the pandemic were among the reasons for the shortfall in meeting the targeted 60GW of wind energy in the country by 2022, Parliament was informed. The government had set a target of having 175 GW of renewable energy capacity including 100 GW solar, 60 GW wind energy, 10 GW of bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro power projects by 2022. "As on October 31, 2022 wind power projects of 41.8 GW capacity have been commissioned and 11.7 GW capacity projects are at various stages of implementation in the country. In addition, bids of 1,700 MW capacity of wind power projects have been issued," Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to the RajyaSabha. The reasons for the shortfall in achieving the target include change in tariff regime (i.e. from Feed-inTariff (FiT) to bidding route), COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruption on account of COVID-19, etc, the minister informed the Upper House. According to data maintained by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India has an installed solar capacity of 61.62 GW, 10.2GW of biomass power and 4.92 GW of small hydro by October 2022. The CEA data showed that the country has 119.09 GW of installed capacity of renewable energy which consists of solar, wind energy, biomass power and small hydro by October 2022.