BUSINESS
PowerWatch | Renewables contribute 11% to meet India's current power demand; share of coal at 77%
As on April 26, the contribution of renewable energy sources (RES) such as solar, wind and biomass to meet the power demand was 11 percent, whereas, the share of coal-fired thermal power plants was 77 percent.
BUSINESS
Tax levied by states and union territories on electricity generation illegal: Centre
Stating that some state governments are imposing a “water cess” on hydroelectric projects, the Centre directed all states and UTs to immediately withdraw any such tax or duty.
BUSINESS
Govt revises merit order in power exchanges to maintain low costs
Under the revised mechanism, the merit order for power dispatch in the exchanges will be decided a day in advance instead of the he current 1.5 hours. The system will also include all thermal power generators, instead of just NTPC's thermal stations, which is currently the case.
BUSINESS
India sets ambitious yearly targets for central PSUs to reach 500GW green power capacity
The decision of the government to add 50 GW of RE capacity each year from hereon is significant as well as challenging because until now, the country has managed to add only a maximum of about 15 GW annually.
BUSINESS
PowerWatch | India met a power demand of 194 GW on April 25
On April 18, when large parts of the country were reeling under heat-wave conditions, the peak electricity demand that was met was 215.88 GW (215,882 MW), a record high, so far.
BUSINESS
Pooling of electricity from old plants to go live across India from July
Moneycontrol first reported that the government’s proposal to pool electricity from old thermal and gas-based power plants is likely to be rolled out in April. At least 14 such power plants with a total capacity of 15,386 megawatts (MW) are likely to be tapped once the scheme comes into force.
BUSINESS
PowerWatch | Demand marginally increases, but remains below 200 GW
Data analysed by Moneycontrol showed that between April 1 to April 23, the daily peak demand breached the 200 GW mark on 9 days. With the rise in the overall demand, trade volumes in the power exchanges have also increased, with hourly peak prices touching the cap of Rs 10 per kilowatt hour every day on the energy bourses.
BUSINESS
SECI records 59% jump in RE power trading volume in FY2023
Till date, SECI has awarded renewable energy project capacities of over 56 GW.
BUSINESS
PowerWatch | Demand ebbs as heatwave subsides in most parts of country
A record 215.88 GW power demand was met on April 18 when large parts of the country were reeling under heatwave conditions. This week a surge in power demand is unlikely, with rain predicted for some areas
BUSINESS
New energy investments to drive energy transition: Reliance CFO
RIL last year unveiled plans to spend $75 billion on clean energy projects over the next 15 years.
BUSINESS
Peak power demand breaches previous high as heatwave keeps India sweltering
As for the current coal stocks, data accessed by Moneycontrol showed that the situation as of now is manageable. Of the 165 domestic coal-based thermal power plants in the country, as many as 30 had critical stocks. Last year around this time, the number of such plants had touched 96.
BUSINESS
Vacancies in DERC, AAP-LG tussle delay power tariff revisions in Delhi
DERC had announced the last tariff revision on September 30, 2021. Power charges in Delhi were raised by 2 percentage points from October 1, 2021. Last year, despite no tariff revision, electricity cost in Delhi was raised by up to 4%.
BUSINESS
MC Exclusive | Govt invites EOIs for 'Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters'
The focus areas of the green hydrogen value chain which the HVICs will have include green hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and distribution and hydrogen end uses such as transport, clean heat and power, and industry applications.
BUSINESS
NTPC plans bamboo-based bio-refinery at Assam's Bongaigaon
In line with the government’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, NTPC has also revised its RE targets to 60 GW from 30 GW by 2030.
BUSINESS
MC Exclusive | ‘We will absolutely meet the surge in demand’: Power minister RK Singh
The government says with sufficient coal stocks and gas capacities tied up there won’t be any issues during peak power demand this summer.
BUSINESS
Power tariffs in India are one of the lowest in the world: RK Singh
The Union minister for power and renewable energy said for the first time current subsidy dues owed to discoms by state governments are up to date and legacy dues are being cleared expeditiously.
BUSINESS
Need to boost capacity to meet India's growing power demand: Union minister RK Singh
In an interview with Moneycontrol, the Union minister for power and renewable energy said at least 44,000 MW of thermal capacity is under different stages of construction and up to 16 MW will be nuclear power capacity by 2030. At least 30,000 MW of hydroelectric power projects are at various stages of construction and planning.
BUSINESS
MC Exclusive | All transformers have to be metered by March 2024: RK Singh
As on date, about 40 percent distribution transformer metering has been done and for feeder lines, the status is a bit better at about 80 percent, Singh said. He added that the government is also modernising its feeder monitoring system.
BUSINESS
MC Exclusive | Govt lowers price cap at power exchanges to Rs 10 per unit
Besides, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has also slashed the price ceiling for the high price day ahead market (HP-DAM) from Rs 50/kWh to Rs 20 per unit, the latest CERC order accessed by Moneycontrol showed. Both the revised price caps came into effect from April 4.
BUSINESS
MC Interview | Shifting from pure solar power to hybrid and green hydrogen projects: Amplus Solar CEO
Sharad Pungalia, CEO and MD, says the company’s first inter-state transmission system project in Rajasthan will be commissioned in the fourth quarter of this FY24. The company also plans to set up new renewable energy units of up to 700 MW in FY24, from 150 MW in the last financial year, he says.
BUSINESS
MC Exclusive | No inter-state transmission charges up to December 2055 for green hydrogen projects: Govt order
Production of 1 kg of green hydrogen requires 55-60 kWh of renewable energy. Therefore, a Rs 1/kWh increase in the delivered cost of RE would increase the production cost of green hydrogen by Rs 60 per kg (or $0.75/kg), the order accessed by Moneycontrol stated, explaining why the extension of waiver was necessitated.
BUSINESS
Govt targets 1.2 MMT green hydrogen annual production in first three years of incentive programme
The maximum incentive for green hydrogen production will be Rs 50 per kg, which will come down to Rs 30 per kg in the third year. For electrolyser manufacturing, the incentive will be offered for the first five years with the government also suggesting a possible performance multiplier matrix to reward lower energy consumption and penalise higher energy consumption to push high efficiency electrolysers.
BUSINESS
India to get 7,000 MW from nuclear power by 2031 as govt grants bulk approval to reactors
As per the Central Electricity Authority data, till March 2022, India had an installed nuclear power capacity of 6,780 MW, which is just 2 percent of the total energy (thermal, hydro, renewables) mix in the country.
BUSINESS
MC Interview | NTPC expects to add ‘significant’ renewable energy capacity in FY24: NTPCREL CEO
Mohit Bhargava, CEO of NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd, said the company did about 1.4 GW of new renewable energy capacity addition last year and has about 17-18 GW in the pipeline as of now.
