NEW DELHI: The government proposes to amend the Electricity Act to ensure that companies applying for power distribution rights in an area have signed sufficient power purchase agreements (PPAs) to ensure uninterrupted supply to consumers, Power Minister R.K. Singh said on Tuesday.  Briefing reporters here on the achievement of bringing electricity to all villages in the country, R.K. Singh said the changes t...

NEW DELHI, MAY 1 On April 28, the government announced that all villages in the country had been electrified. But critics and locals point to villages still being without power. Defending the government’s claim, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, RK Singh, said the questions over the electrification drive were raised due to lack of understanding of the functio...

The sector added 11,788 MW to the grid, against 9,505 MW by traditional sources CHENNAI, MAY 1 For the first time in the country, the renewable energy sector has added more capacity than the conventional power — thermal, gas and nuclear — in 2017-18. The renewable energy sector which includes solar, wind and bio-fuel, has added 11,788 MW of capacity to the grid in FY18. Though the renewable energ...

NEW DELHI: State Bank of India (SBI) is preparing a major debt restructuring and takeover plan for stressed power assets, to improve valuations and attract new owners with incentives and a quick resolution process. The country’s largest lender has called all power plant lenders in Mumbai on Wednesday for discussing a proposal that has a direct bearing on loans adding up to Rs 1....

Under the scheme, a single entity can be allotted a maximum capacity of 600 Megawatt. The Scheme assures a minimum offtake of 55 per cent of contracted capacity and the tariff will be fixed for three years without any escalation. April 30, 2018, 13:42 IST New Delhi: Power Finance Corporation (PFC) today announced it will invite bids in the first week of May from coal based power generators without lon...

Speaking at the National Panchayati Raj Day event in Ramnagar here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chouhan said his government was working for the welfare of the tribals and the poor. Mandla (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has claimed all villages in the state will be electrified by October and Rs 2 lakh crore spent on development of tribals in five ...

The power sector in India is in a state of flux at the moment, with many challenges facing it. On the financial side, a Standard Committee on Energy reported last year that non-performing assets (NPAs) in the sector has reached over Rs 37,941 crore; a big worry for banks and investors. Apart from this, the non-availability of fuel (coal/natural gas), the inability of the promoter to infuse equity and working capital,...

The government continues to struggle to stitch together a resolution plan for stressed assets in the power sector. A second attempt to get government entities like NTPC Ltd, Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corp. (REC) to come together and acquire stressed power projects has failed to gather much traction, said three bankers familiar with the matter.   At risk is nearly Rs 3 la...

CHANDIGARH: In a first, the state government is holding interviews on April 26 (Thursday) to select the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). This is a departure from the previous practice of selecting the officer through a screening of service record, with the chief minister giving the final nod. This is also said to be a first in 60 years. PSPCL and Punjab State ...

Once a closure decision of power station is made, the land remains unutilised for six to 10 years  India lacks a comprehensive policy on post-closure utilisation of power plant site. Credit: Agnimirh Basu           In the middle of the buzzing city of Bathinda, four giant cooling towers of a thermal power station stand tall. For many years, four power generatin...