CERC has proposed new norms for forecasting, scheduling and imbalance handling of renewable power…

 

The new regulations for scheduling solar and wind power for transmission through the grid could escalate prices.

If the power generator deviates from its schedule and under supplies, it would be liable for a penalty. The penalty amount, which would be calculated as per unit energy shortfall, will go in a pool - Renewable Regulatory Fund (RRF). The amount from this fund would be shared among all the states buying from that power plant in the ratio of their peak demand during the previous month. States defaulting on buying renewable power as prescribed under their renewable purchase obligation (RPO), too, would have to pay a penalty.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has proposed norms for forecasting, scheduling and imbalance handling of renewable power. It says that the power generator would be paid for the energy supplied to the grid and not the capacity tied up.

The wind or solar power generator would have to use tools to forecast power generation from its plant and then schedule power sale accordingly in the grid.

"Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMCs) are being established and these would be equipped with advanced forecasting tools... the buyer would be paying tariff for the energy scheduled to the wind/solar energy generators," said the draft regulations. The scheduling would be done by regional load despatch centres (RLDCs).

The industry finds the proposal not in sync with the government's target to add 1.75 gW of renewable power by 2022.

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KERC approves average tariff hike of 13 paise per unit

 

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved revision of electricity supply tariff for all the Electricity Supply Companies in the State for the Financial Year 2015-16, by allowing an average tariff increase of 13 paise per unit for different categories of consumers.

The revised tariff will come into effect for the electricity consumed from the first meter reading date falling on or after April 1, 2015.

As against an increase of 80 paise per unit sought by the ESCOMs uniformly for all categories of consumers, KERC has allowed an average tariff increase of 13 paise per unit (ranging from 10 paise to 20 paise) for different categories of consumers other than Irrigation Pump Sets and "BhagyaJyothi/KuteerJyothi" households.

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Post Budget, around 5-10% hike in Electricity Tariff is expected

 

On account of higher freight charges proposed in the Railway Budget 2015 and the doubling of clean energy cess in the Union Budget 2015 are expected to result in around 5% rise in electricity prices. Further 5% increase is expected to come from other input costs such as salary & wages, components & spares etc.

In addition, utilities that have power purchase agreements in place without the ability to pass on higher generation costs to consumers are expected to be affected.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley proposed to increase the cess on coal to Rs 200 per tonne to finance clean environment initiatives. Coal India passes on the cess to consumers, which means the effect will be felt by power companies that consume coal.

Generation costs may rise 5-6 paise per unit due to higher rail freight charges, according to officials at NTPC, the country's biggest power company. Along with the increased clean energy cess, the rise in cost works out to 12-14 paise per unit, which is 5% of the current cost of Rs 2.80 that NTPC incurs to produce a unit of power. The cost of generating electricity for NTPC, which is allowed to pass on higher input charges, is on the lower side and the impact on the utility's consumers will be less than for customers of other power companies.

Companies with older power plants have a higher cost of generation since they consume more coal to produce a unit of electricity. The effect of higher power costs will vary for customers.

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Two 600 MW units of MPPGCL Project in MP to be inaugurated by Primer Minster on March 5.

 

 

Two 600 MW unites of Shree Singaji TPP in Khandwa district to be dedicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 5.

Further, the foundation stones of two additional 660 MW units of the same plant will also be laid.

Shree Singaji Thermal Power Plant is a coal-fired project located near Dongaliya village in Khandwa. The project is owned by MPPGCL.

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Tata Power commissions first 63 MW unit of Bhutan hydro plant

 

Tata Power has commissioned the first unit of its 126 MW Dagachhu hydro power plant having a capacity of 63 MW in Bhutan.

Dagachhu project is a joint venture between Tata Power and Druk Green Power Corporation, owned by Royal Government of Bhutan and National Pension and Provident Fund of Bhutan.

With the commissioning of the first unit of this plant, Tata Power's overall hydro power generation capacity now stands at 513 MW and the total at 8,684 MW.

Dagachhu Hydro Power Corporation has entered into a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement with Tata Power Trading Company Ltd (TPTCL, a company of Tata Power) for sale of power from the project. The power generated from the project shall be sold by TPTCL in the Indian power market.

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OPG Power to commission 300 MW power plant on 28th Feb

 

OPGS Power Gujarat Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of UK-based OPG Power Ventures Plc, will commission its 300 MW coal-fired power plant on Saturday at Bhadreswar in Kutch district of Gujarat, managing director and chief executive officer Arvind Gupta said in a press conference on Thursday.

Work on the project, located in a special economic zone developed by the Adani group in Mundra, started three years ago and around 300 acre land was acquired from private owners in Kutch

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Mytrah Energy bagged 220 MW Wind Project from Andhra Pradesh Government

 

 

Mytrah Energy has bagged a 220 MW wind power project from the Andhra Pradesh government.

The project will be installed in Kurnool district and is expected to be commissioned within next 18 months. 

Mytrah has built an operating portfolio of 543 MW across seven wind rich states in a span of four years.

According to company, it has 300 MW under construction and 3,500 MW of identified projects in the pipeline.

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PGCIL seeks USD 500 Mn loan from World Bank to finance transmission projects for evacuation of Solar Power

 

Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has sought $500 million loan assistance from the World Bank for financing projects.

Power Grid is engaged in building transmission projects across the country. It also provides consultancy services in the power sector.

According to PGCIL, discussions are undergoing with the Ministry of Power (MoP) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the World Bank regarding funding assistance of transmission systems for evacuation of power from the solar parks.

For funding of its other transmission projects, Power Grid has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Power for recommending it for consideration of Finance Ministry for sovereign loan assistance of $500 million from the World Bank.

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Mytrah Energy secured Rs 853 Crs loan for its 150 MW wind projects

 

London-based Mytrah Energy Ltd has secured an Rs 853 Crs long-term loan from an unnamed Indian bank to finance 150 MW of wind projects.

The company expects to completed the said capacity in the coming 12 months, before India's 2016 wind season kicks off.

According to the company, the proposed capacity will be completed within 12 months.

With the new wind farms, Mytrah’s nominal capacity will top 690 MW.

So far, the firm has installed 543 MW of wind parks across six Indian states and it has 3,500 MW of projects in the pipeline.

Last week, Mytrah agreed to construct a 220-MW wind park in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh within 18 months under a deal with the local government.

India aims to boost its installed renewable plant capacity to a total of 170 GW by 2022, up from 34 GW at present.

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Second round of coal auction to be held on March 4

 

The government has put off the second round of auction of 21 coal blocks to 4^th March 2015 which was earlier scheduled to begin from 27^th February 2015.

The auction follows the Supreme Court decision last year to cancel allocation of 204 coal mines.

So far the Government has already allotted 19 coal blocks in the first lot of coal auctions.

According to the Coal Ministry, announcement of qualified bidders for Schedule 3 Coal Blocks will be done on 2^nd March 2015. The entire process of auction of schedule III blocks will be completed by April 2.

The mines on offer for schedule III mines are

• Jharkhand: Brinda, Sisai, Ganeshpur, Lohari & Jitpur mines
• Chhattisgarh: Durgapur and Taraimar coal blocks
• Odisha: Jamkhani & Mandakini
• Maharashtra: Marki Mangli-IV & Nerad Malegaon
• Madhya Pradesh: Dongrital II (Phase I) mine

The government has received 130 preliminary bids from companies like Essar Power, Hindalco, Adani Power and Jindal Power for 21 coal blocks on offer in the second tranche of ongoing auction.

Other mines on auction are Meral coal block in Jharkhand, Rohne Coal Block in Jharkhand, Utkal C in Odisha, Dumri Block in Jharkhand, Gare Palma IV/8 in Chhattisgarh, Kosara Dongargaon mine in Maharashtra, Mandla South coal block in MP, Moitra coal mine in Jharkhand and Tare mine in Chhattisgarh.

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