Public sector miner Coal India Ltd (CIL) has landed in the Narendra Modi government’s line of fire over the recent power crisis, according to internal correspondence between the two reviewed by The Wire. A letter from Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain to CIL boss Pramod Agarwal – sent two weeks ago – blames the state-run unit for not meeting production and off-take targets. “During FY ...
The depleting stock of coal in the thermal power plants of Punjab spiralled the state into deeper crisis on Monday, as unscheduled power cuts were again imposed on all categories of consumers and state-run power discom PSPCL was forced to purchase around 1,500 MW of power for Rs 14.46 per unit. A day earlier, on Sunday, PSPCL had purchased 285 lakh units at an average price of Rs 11.6 per unit. O...
The power position in Punjab continues to be grim as power cuts ranging from three to six hours are being imposed in the state. The supply to the agriculture sector is for 3.5 hours only against the demand of 8-hour power supply by the farmers. and the gap between demand and supply is more than 1000 MW and PSPCL is purchasing power on a day-ahead basis and real-time, basis to bridge the gap.,All...
The Talwandi Sabo power plant. According to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission guidelines, power plants in Punjab have to ensure a minimum stock of 30 days, as all of them are located more than 1,500 km from coal mines. ...
The country’s thermal power plants are currently facing a severe coal shortage, with a majority of the thermal stations having an average of four days of coal stock against a normative requirement to hold 15-30 days of coal stock based on the distance of the plant from the source of coal. The centre has notified guidelines allowing thermal power plants with idle capacity to sell unrequisitioned power in the ...
Even a month after deciding to repudiate the power purchase agreement with GVK and tell the state’s other two independent power producers (IPPs) that they were in default, Punjab Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is sitting on these notices. The state government approved the PPA’s repudiation on the recommendation of a three-member PSPCL committee that had observed the unit rate to be...
It has been brought to the notice of the Government that some power plants are not generating to their full capacity at any given time and the unutilized capacity remains idle as they are tied up under power purchase agreements. Whereas in the public interest, such power needs to be despatched, where there is a requirement in the grid by the other users or consumers. As per the Tariff Policy, 2016, power stations ...
To provide quality power to consumers across the state, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday asked PSPCL to go for clean and green power at a competitive price. Chairing a meeting with officials of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL), the chief minister said solar power is cost-effective and reliable besides being clean. Green source of energy wou...
Despite continuous infusion of funds by way of loans from PFC-REC, power distribution companies (discoms) in Uttar Pradesh are in a precarious financial position, mainly due to inadequate revenue collection. The cumulative cash gap of the five discoms in the state from April to September has burgeoned to approximately Rs 13,000 crore, owing to which the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL) is unable to make timely...
Massive discom losses—stemming from states’ largesse to certain groups of power consumers in the form of large subsidies and inability to act against power theft—are rightly blamed for not just impacting other power-sector players but also for some of the NPA mess in the banking sector. States have often been accused of insincere action on improving discom finances. However, a report by the Pow...