Power

Banks now have more leeway in dealing with defaulters with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) coming out with a diluted version of its February 2018 circular on defaulting companies, which was struck down by […]

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has recently allowed GMR Warora Energy Limited (GWEL) compensation for the shortage of linkage coal beyond March 31, 2017. The CERC’s order, passed on May 16, 2019, is deemed […]

The power sector’s record in the past five years has been somewhat mixed. While the sector has done well in key areas such as reducing the energy deficit, improving coal production, increasing renewable energy capacity […]

It was a month of hectic policy action for the power sector. The government made two key policy announcements aimed at alleviating stress for both thermal and hydropower gencos. The cabinet approved the recommendations of […]

Approved by the union cabinet on March 1, 2019, the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles II (FAME II) initiative is expected to give a shot in the arm to the country’s e-mobility plans. […]

The Power Finance Corporation (PFC), the lead financier in the Indian power sector, is exploring new growth avenues. With the changing business environment, the company has realigned its strategy to maintain its dominant position in […]

Close on the heels of the March 2019 deadline for the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), the government presented a note on the scheme’s three-year progress. Under the scheme, which was launched in November 2015 […]

In a move that is expected to significantly open up the market for cross-border power trading, the government, in December 2018, issued new guidelines for electricity import/export, repealing the earlier guidelines issued in 2016. Back […]

The new year seems to have brought some cheer to the power sector. On January 1, 2019, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved Renascent Power Ventures Private Limited’s acquisition of a majority stake in […]

Tightening its grip on coal-based power plants, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed penalties of up to Rs 50 million on plants not meeting the 100 per cent fly ash utilisation mandate. The order […]

Over the past few years, the installed generation capacity has recorded enormous growth. However, much of this capacity addition has taken place without fuel supply agreements (FSAs) and power purchase agreements (PPAs)  with distribution companies. […]

On December 6, 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave in-principle approval for the sale of the central government’s 52.63 per cent stake in REC Limited (formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited) to the […]

In a major step towards reviving the stranded power projects operated by Adani Power Limited (APL), Tata Power and Essar Power in Gujarat, the Supreme Court has asked the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to […]

The absence of a hydropower policy that comprehensively addresses the woes of this segment has been one of the biggest areas of contention for the industry. As a result, growth in the segment has been […]

The government’s ambitious reform programme, the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) has started yielding positive outcomes on the operational and financial fronts, notes the power ministry. More importantly, it is making discoms conscious on a […]

With thermal power plants facing a demand crunch and discoms not signing any power purchase agreements (PPAs) beyond their baseload, the short-term power trading market has emerged as a necessary tool in recent years for […]

In recent years, the growth in electricity demand has not been commensurate with the generation capacity addition, which has led to a decline in the plant load factor (PLF) of thermal power plants (TPPs). While […]

The power sector has undergone much transformation in the past 20 years. Significant legislative reforms including the Electricity Act, 2003, unbundling of state electricity boards (SEBs) and the formation of regulatory commissions, undertaken during the […]