Power Generation- Project- February 2020 in minutes

NTPC on 29 February 2020, declared the commencement of 800 MW Unit#1 of Darlipalli Super Thermal Power Station Stage-I (2 x 800 MW). The commercial production will start from 1 March 2020. With this, the commercial capacity of NTPC and NTPC group will become 49,695 MW and 58,156 MW respectively.

Earlier, the company informed that commercial operation of 250 MW unit of Barauni Thermal Power Station Stage-II (2 x 250 MW) will commence from 1 March 2020.

Tata Power, Mundra has threatened distribution companies owned by the state governments of Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Maharashtra to stop supply from the plant beginning March if they don't agree to tariff increases as approved by the Supreme Court (2018) and the CERC (2019). The company is incurring a loss of Rs 1,000 crore from this one unit alone this year. 

Official stated that our attempt has been to arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement. We have waited long for a resolution and losses are mounting. We do hope that states will take steps to finalise this quickly.

Status at discoms level:

• Gujarat is the only state who have approved a revised power purchase agreement allowing for an increase. 
• State elections in Maharashtra derailed talks and caused delays. 
• As per reports, Punjab government has agreed to part of the revision but it has not yet approved the tariff
• Haryana is still against tariff hike.

BHEL commissioned two units of 150 MW capacity each at the Kameng Hydroelectric Project (HEP) in Arunachal Pradesh being developed by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO), the greenfield hydro project is located in West Kameng district of the state.

BHEL in press release stated that the Francis Turbine commissioned in the project is designed to operate at rated head of 501 meters, making it the highest head Francis Type Hydro Turbine in the country. 

A dozen power plants of companies like Adani Power, Jindal Power, GMR Energy and Essar Power have quoted Rs 3.26 per unit tariff for power supply to states, the lowest bid from coal-based power projects in years.

As per sources, Adani Power has quoted Rs 3.26 per unit for supply of 700 MW from two of its plants in Raigarh and Raipur, while Jindal Power Ltd bid for 420 MW of supply from two plants. Essar Power has quoted for 260 MW, while Jindal India Thermal Power for 270 MW. Jaypee’s Nigrie power plant has bid for supply of 200 MW, while MB Power, Sembcorp Energy and GMR Energy have quoted for 150 MW each, SKS Power and DB Power have bid for 100 MW supply each.

These companies matched the L1 price of Rs 3.26 per unit for total supply of 2,500 MW PPAs sought under the scheme. The companies will supply electricity for three years and will be allowed annual escalation at the rate of 50% of the WPI.

Seven projects of RKM Powergen, Jhabua Power Ltd, MB Power Ltd, SKS Power, Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd, IL&FS Energy and JP Nigrie had won 1900-mw contracts at a price of Rs 4.24 per unit in the first round of the scheme that was launched in April 2018.

West Bengal’s power distribution company for its proposed 1000 MW Turga pumped storage power project has executed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency to fund INR 5,000 crore. The total project cost has been estimated at INR 6922 crore. The pumped storage power project will come up in the state’s Purulia district at Ayodhya hills. The state cabinet has already endorsed four reversible pump turbine units of 250 MW, each. 

Other:

• RattanIndia seeks Rs 500cr from lenders to restart Nashik plant
• Himachal Pradesh: First unit of SawraKuddu project to start generating power by April
• JSW Energy to buy GMR Energy Kamalanga power plant for Rs 5,321 cr
• Both Kudankulam units shut, 1,000 MW shortfall for Tamil Nadu

Click here for news link

Register at [email protected] for getting the daily newsletter and other important updates.