Power supply deficit 0.9% in April-June quarter
Overall power deficit was 0.9 percent in the April-June quarter of this fiscal as 292.82 billion units were supplied against a demand of 295.34 billion units, Parliament was informed today. During the quarter, 2,92,822 million units of power was supplied against the demand of 2,95,344 million units, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. In 2015-16, the overall power deficit was 2.11 percent as 1090.85 billion units were supplied against the demand of 1114.40 billion units. Government has planned to make the country energy surplus with a target of generating 1,178 billion units, leading to 1.1 percent overall electricity surplus during this fiscal. According to the Load Generation Balance Report (LGBR) for 2016-17, the Centre has set a target of generating 1,178 billion units with overall surplus of 1.1 percent and peak surplus of 2.6 percent. In a separate reply, Goyal said the government is making efforts to provide for the coal, power & renewable sectors a possible investment opportunity of about USD 250 billion during five-year period between 2015 to 2020. When extrapolated to a 15-year programme until 2030, the coal, power and renewable sector alone provides USD 1 trillion opportunity, he said. The investment will be in area like transmission, opening of new mines, to bring technology into the coal sector, push towards energy efficiency, to bring in new coal generating plants which will be environmentally superior plants, to make distribution sector profitable business for the state discoms. In another reply the minister said:”To increase generation of power, capacity addition of 1,18,537 MW (including 88,537 MW conventional and 30,000 MW renewable) was planned during the 12th Plan (by 2016-17). As against this, about 86,565 MW from conventional sources and about 19,500 MW from renewable sources have been achieved till June 30, 2016.” He also said that today, about 41 percent of generation capacity is private and private sector investments are also flowing in the transmission sector. “Preliminary estimation by Central Electricity Authority reveal that around Rs 32 lakh crore would be required for meeting expenditure on generation, transmission and distribution alone during 2017-2027. Over and above this, there would be commensurate investments required for research and development, manpower needs, energy conservation measures etc,” he added. The total transmission capacity of inter-regional links is 59,550 MW (as on June 2016) which is expected to increase to 68,050 MW by March 2017, he added. Kareem Hunt Jersey
OIPL’s Rs 29k-cr power project gets stage-I green nod
A state green panel has given first-stage clearance to Orissa Integrated Power Ltd (OIPL) for diverting 17.02 hectares of revenue forest land to set up a 4,000-Mw Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) in Sundargarh district in Odisha at a cost of Rs 29,000 crore. According to the proposal, the UMPP requires a total of 1,302.36 hectares, which includes 17.02 hectares of revenue forest land, 1,285 hectares of non-forest land and 1,105.86 hectares of private land. At a recent meeting of the Bhubaneshwar Regional Empowered Committee (REC), the proposal of the OIPL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of state-run Power Finance Corporation of India, was discussed. According to sources, REC has recommended “stage-I” approval to the proposal with some conditions. OIPL has been asked to furnish the details of non-forest land as well as private land identified for compensatory afforestation along with Record of Rights (RoR) and non-encroachment certificate from the tehsildar before the issue of stage-II approval, they said. The company has been asked to raise compensatory afforestation to 27.89 hectares in one compact block considering fragmented nature of the leftout forest of 10.87 hectares. It has also been asked to furnish revised Forest Rights Act (FRA) certificate for 17.02 hectares before issuance of stage-II approval and submit the status of non-forest land duly authenticated by the competent revenue authority. The project cost is pegged at Rs 29,000 crore and is estimated to generate over 4,500 jobs in the state. As per the rule, the state government gives stage-I and II forest clearances to the projects based on REC recommendations. Curtis McElhinney Jersey
NHPC signs pact with BHEL for hydro power projects overseas
State-owned NHPC today said it has entered into a pact with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for undertaking hydro power projects in overseas markets. “NHPC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 21, 2016 with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL),” NHPC said in a filing to BSE. As per the MOU, NHPC and BHEL will look after the civil and electro mechanical packages respectively. NHPC is a Mini Ratna category-I enterprise with an authorised share capital of Rs 1,50,000 million. It is a premier organisation in the country for development of hydropower. During 2015-16 fiscal, NHPC power stations generated 23,404 million units. In the last fiscal, NHPC had a sales of Rs 7,347 crore with a net profit of Rs 2,440 crore, according to its website. Presently, NHPC is engaged in the construction of five projects aggregating to a total installed capacity of 4,290 MW. Gabe Jackson Womens Jersey
Hyderabad sees 100 cases of power theft per month
Rampant cases of power theft have left authorities worried. According to officials of Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL), at least 100 cases have been registered every month in the last year. Officials say this menace is seen more in the southern circle and parts of the central circle. Estimates suggest that energy losses here account for roughly 45% of total energy consumed. Altogether, the stolen power amounts to 900 million units every year. Making matters worse, officials from the discom said a few officials are hand in glove with the thieves. “We have a lab and centre where the meter seals are developed and attached. Every month, we come up with 10,000 such seals. There are some people who remove these seals and sell them to outsiders. Apart from this, there are some people who tamper with the meters as well,” said J Srinivas Reddy, director (operations), TSSPDCL. He also said that the miscreants attach diodes and resistors to their meters, ensuring that they get a lower reading. “For domestic use, there is a prescribed load that is given to these people. But when they attach resistors or diodes to their meters, they use up more energy but the meter does not register the same,” he added. Direct tapping, bypassing the meter and tampering are the most common methods of stealing electricity, for which criminal cases can be booked under section 135 of the Indian Electricity Act. Another problem officials pointed out was that many consumers insist on fixing meters indoors, making it difficult for billing officers to monitor pilferage. Roughly 30% of the city’s population has meters inside homes, which is against rules. Matt Wieters Jersey
Financial Crises in BHEL
On 7th April 2016, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) reported Net Loss of Rs. 877 Crore for the financial year 2015-16 as per the then tentative/provisional Flash results. Subsequently on 27th May 2016, BHEL reported Net Loss of Rs. 913 Crore after Statutory Audit of the Company for the financial year 2015-16. The performance of BHEL during the year 2015-16 was impacted mainly due to continued subdued business environment, resulting in reduced level of operations and non-lifting of hold in many of the stranded projects of various customers in which the Company is engaged as a contractor/ supplier. Government issues advisories/ suggestions which may be policy related or specific issue related as and when required depending on the nature of the case and exigency. As a result of this, BHEL has pursued initiatives in diversification, eyeing new business opportunities emerging in defence, railways, water, solar and also in the conventional power sector. The Government has also appointed 2 Directors [Government Nominees] on the Board of BHEL who actively contribute in overseeing the Companys strategic direction, reviewing and monitoring corporate performance, ensuring regulatory compliance and Corporate Governance, and safeguarding the interests of the shareholders. Also, 5 Independent Directors having vast experience in the focus areas of BHEL, have been inducted in the Board of the company. Further, the performance of BHEL is reviewed by Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) on a regular basis. DHI also assists the Company in the achievement of growth plan through policy initiatives, suitable inter-ministerial interventions, and taking up specific issues from time to time. This information was given by Minister of State In the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Babul Supriyo in reply to a written question in the Lok Sabha today. Trae Waynes Authentic Jersey
More competition in power distribution soon
After rolling out the power distribution reform plan, Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), the NDA government wants to open up the power distribution and transmission sector for competition. The amendments in the Electricity Act, 2003, would have enabling provisions to allow more than one player in power distribution, including private companies. The electricity amendment Bill is set to be introduced for discussion and passing in the winter session, said a senior government source on Tuesday. It was placed in the Lok Sabha in December 2014 and referred to a Standing Committee. The amendments also aim to provide a choice of power discoms to consumers with usage of less than one Mw, separate the content and carriage business, inclusiveness for renewable energy and tariff rationalisation. In order to create a competitive market for retail buyers, open access will allow consumers of less than one Mw to choose their supplier. Power generators, too, will be allowed to sell their surplus outside a state. A senior government source said some of the state governments were opposed to the entry of multiple players. “As a beginning, we will introduce this in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states,” the source said. The amendments in the Act also propose to segregate the carriage (distribution network) from the content (electricity supply business) in the power sector. The government would introduce multiple supply licensees in the content business based on market principles and continue carriage as a regulated business. To keep the tariff structure on financial principles, the provisions on the same were approved in the new ‘Tariff Policy’ last year. UDAY was launched last year to turn around the discoms — both financially and operationally. The scheme has kicked off in 10 states. Phil Simms Authentic Jersey
Supreme Court’s order on revision of tariff under PPA positive for Gencos: ICRA
ICRA believes that the recent Supreme Court orders upholding statutory powers of state power regulators to review tariffs of power purchase agreements is a positive development for generation entities. This would cover generation companies that are in dispute with buyers over tariff review for events that are uncontrollable. “While these orders are a positive development for the independent power producers, it is assumed that tariff re-determination or compensation-related issues are unlikely to be resolved quickly. Further, orders issued by power regulators – whichever way they may favour – are likely to be contested and Supreme Court has noted in one of the cases that the final orders issued by the regulators shall be subject to scrutiny”, Sabyasachi Majumdar, Senior Vice President, ICRA said. On July 5, 2016, Supreme Court upheld an order issued by Appellate Tribunal for Electricity for re-determination of tariff by Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission in case of power purchase agreements signed by IPPs – Tarini Infrastructure (TIL) and Junagadh Power Projects (JPPPL) with the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL). This is a positive for these power producers, given that CERC is currently evaluating tariff compensations, post APTEL’s order dated April 7, 2016. The tribunal had directed CERC to assess the extent of the impact of force majeure events on the projects of APL and CGPL and provide them such relief as may be available under the respective power purchase agreements. Cyrus Jones Womens Jersey
Torrent Power slashes tariff in Gujarat for Q2
Private sector power player Torrent Power Limited on Monday announced a reduction in the Fuel and Power Purchase Price Adjustment (FPPPA) charges for the current quarter, for its power consumers in the cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Surat. In a statement issued here, the company informed that the cut in the FPPPA will be ?0.80 per unit for the September quarter as against ?1.98 per unit in the comparable quarter of the previous year, showing a reduction of ?1.18 per unit. This will result in a reduction of about 17 per cent in power bills. This announcement follows the reduction in FPPPA to ?1.30 per unit, already implemented by Torrent in first quarter of the current fiscal year, the company said. The FPPPA charge varies quarter-to-quarter, in accordance with a formula approved by the power regulator, Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC), on account of variations in actual cost of power procurement and volume. A separate Regulatory Charge of ?0.18 per unit in case of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and ?0.17 per unit in case of Surat to recover Torrent’s past approved under-recoveries has been made effective since July 1, 2016, which was not applicable in the previous year. Even after accounting for the Regulatory Charge, all categories of consumers in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Surat will, on a net basis, save ?1 per unit as compared to previous year on account of the reduced FPPPA charge, the company informed. Charles Johnson Authentic Jersey
DDUGJY reaches out to electrify 141 villages last week
141 villages have been electrified across the country during last week (from 11th to 17th July 2016) under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY). Out of these electrified villages, 5 villages belong to Arunachal Pradesh , 56 in Meghalaya, 31 in Assam, 4 in Mizoram, 3 in Jharkhand,9 in Rajasthan ,3 in Madhya Pradesh , 23 in Odisha and 5 in Bihar, 1 each in Himachal Pradesh and Tripura. In view of, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to nation, on Independence Day, government of India has decided to electrify remaining 18,452 unelectrified villages within 1000 days i.e. by 01st May, 2018. The project has been taken on mission mode and strategy for electrification consists of squeezing the implementation schedule to 12 months and also dividing village electrification process in 12 Stage milestones with defined timelines for monitoring. 8,960 villages have been electrified till date. Out of remaining 8,995 villages, 497 villages are uninhabitated. 6,009 villages are to be electrified through grid,2,657 villages to be electrified through off-grid where grid solutions are out of reach due to geographical barriers and 329 villages are to be electrified by State Govt . Maurice Canady Authentic Jersey
Spot prices up on forecasts for hot weather, less wind
European spot power prices rose on Monday on forecasts for lower German wind power supplies and a brief heatwave that could boost electricity demand for air conditioning. Wind power supplies in Germany will halve to 2.4 gigawatts (GW) on Tuesday from Monday, and not exceed 3.6 GW in the period up to July 29, according to Thomson Reuters data. “There’s been a mismatch of wind forecasts and reality while solar supply has also been overestimated,” one trader said. “This outweighs more thermal availability and some demand drops due to the holidays starting in some regions,” he added. German baseload power for Tuesday delivery was 3.75 euros above the price paid for Monday at 34 euros ($37.56) a megawatt hour (MWh). The equivalent French contract was 5 euros up at 41 euros. Demand is expected to rise strongly on Tuesday – by 1.3 GW in Germany and by 2.6 GW in France – as temperatures are forecast to exceed 22 degrees Celsius per day on a 24-hour basis in Germany. In France they are forecast to rise to 25.8 degrees. But they will not increase beyond Thursday and will fall next week, if current predictions materialise. Forward power prices were up, tracking firmer carbon and gas curve levels, while coal and oil lost some earlier strength to turn negative. UK gas reacted strongly to lower than expected supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG), higher exports to continental Europe, and the extension of an outage at the Rough gas storage site to next year. German baseload power for next year, Cal ’17, was 1 euro up at 28.2 euros/MWh. The French year-ahead power contract was 1.4 euros up at 33.6. Crude oil was lower after choppy trade in Asia following gains last week. Traders shrugged off the impact of Friday’s attempted coup in Turkey and upbeat economic data from the United States lent some support. European coal prices for 2017 were 0.3 percent down, but held above $60 a tonne. Front-year EU carbon allowances were 0.2 percent up at 4.94 euros a tonne. In eastern European power, the Czech year-ahead position was not traded but was bid 1 euro higher at 29.15 euros, and the next day position gained 1.2 euros to 33.8 euros. Ricky Jean Francois Womens Jersey