The cabinet has allowed flexibility in the utilisation of domestic coal. Longterm coal linkages of individual state generating stations and individual central generating stations will be clubbed and assigned to states or the state-nominated agency and the central sector company operating the plant respectively. Meanwhile, the use of coal in state/central generating plants will be decided on the basis of plant efficiency, cost of coal transportation, transmission charges as well as the overall cost of power supply. Further, in case the coal assigned to the state is allotted to private generating stations, power from the substituted coal would be procured through bidding among the competing private sector plants. The Central Electricity Authority will issue the methodology for implementing the framework.
Uttarakhand and Kerala have undertaken the procurement of 150 MW of power each, on a short-term basis, through the Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price (DEEP) e-bidding and e-reverse auction portal launched by the Ministry of Power. The power procurement tender for Kerala entails the supply of 100 MW of power during peak hours and 50 MW in the daytime during May 2016. Meanwhile, the tender for Uttarakhand entails the supply of 150 MW of power round the clock during July 2016. PTC India Limited has bagged the entire capacity on offer for Kerala and over 75 MW of the capacity tendered by Uttarakhand.
Coal India Limited has removed part of the levies on the supply of higher grades of coal – G2-G5 grades – with a gross calorific value between 6,100 kCal per kg and 6,700 kCal per kg. Following the revision, consumers who buy over 90 per cent of the annual contracted quantity under their fuel supply agreements (FSAs) would be exempt from paying any extra premium. The MoP has released the Report of the Technical Committee on Large Scale Integration of Renewable Energy, Need for Balancing, Deviation Settlement Mechanism. The committee has laid down a 15-point action plan for facilitating large-scale integration of renewable energy in a secure and reliable manner. Some of the suggestions are bringing flexibility in conventional generation, frequency control, generation reserves, forecasting, scheduling, and a deviation settlement mechanism. Besides, the ministry has also initiated ancillary service operations in the country.
The Maharashtra government and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) have refused to pay the termination fee for the power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with Reliance Power Limited for the 4,000 MW Tilaiya ultra mega power project in Jharkhand. The utilities have expressed unwillingness to pay the termination fee as the project had not commenced construction.
NTPC Limited, through its subsidiary NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited, has supplied unrequisitioned surplus power from the 840 MW Dadri Stage I thermal power plant (TPP) in Uttar Pradesh to Gujarat Urja Vitaran Nigam Limited (GUVNL). NTPC has supplied power under the short-term bilateral mode as per the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission tariff, following a request from GUVNL seeking to buy power to meet the state’s energy demand. Gujarat is facing a power shortage due to multiple outages at its generating units.
Hindustan Powerprojects Private Limited has commissioned the second 600 MW unit at its 2,520 MW coal-based Anuppur power plant in Madhya Pradesh. With this, the 1,200 MW Phase I of the plant stands fully commissioned. The company has a PPA with the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh utilities for the sale of power from the plant. Coal for the project has been secured through an FSA with South Eastern Coalfields Limited. NHPC Limited has commissioned the second 40 MW unit of the 160 MW Teesta Low Dam hydroelectric plant (HEP) Stage IV at Darjeeling in West Bengal. The first unit of the HEP was commissioned in February 2016. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) was the principal contractor for the plant.
Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited has commissioned the fifth 500 MW unit at the 3,340 MW Chandrapur superthermal power plant in Maharashtra. With this, the TPP stands fully commissioned. The commissioned unit is a part of the 1,000 MW Stage III of the TPP. BHEL was the principal contractor for the project. Jhabua Power Limited, a subsidiary of Avantha Power and Infrastructure Limited, has commissioned the 600 MW Jhabua TPP at Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. BHEL was the principal contractor for the plant.