Punjab 250 MW Solar Tender Results

 

 

Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), nodal agency of Punjab, has invited Request for Proposal (RfP) on December 24, 2014 for development of 250 MW Solar Projects in the State.

 

The Projects were to be developed under following categories: 

• Category–I: 50 MW Capacity (project capacity 1 MW to 4 MW)
• Category–II: 100 MW Capacity (project capacity 5 MW to 24 MW)
• Category–III: 100 MW Capacity (project capacity 25 MW to 50 MW

Bid submission and Non financial bid opening were on January 28, 2015.

Total 32 bids (21 in Cat-I, 7 in Cat-II & 5 in Cat-III) were received aggregating to ~388 MW (34 MW in Cat-I, 149 MW in Cat-II & 205 MW in Cat-III)

The financial bids opened on February 10, 2015.

Summary of Bid Results

• Total Bids: 32 (aggregate capacity 388 MW)
• Lowest Bid: Azure – 4 MW (Rs 7.33/unit) under category I, SolaireDirect – 24 MW (Rs 6.88/unit) under Category II, 50 MW (Rs 6.88/unit) under Category III
• Highest Winning Bid: RatanIndia – 4 MW (Rs 7.45/unit) under Cat I, 24 MW (Rs 7.42/unit) under Cat II & 50 MW (Rs 7.56/unit) under Cat III

List of Successful Bidders

Bidders	Cat-I			Cat-II		Cat-III		Total Capacity (MW)	Levellized Tariff (Rs/Unit)
	Capacity (MW)	Tariff Rs/Unit	Capacity (MW)		Tariff Rs/Unit	Capacity (MW)	Tariff Rs/Unit
ACME	-	-	24		7.16	50	7.06	74	7.09
RatanIndia	4	7.45	24		7.42	50	7.56	78	7.51
Solaire Direct	-	-	24		6.88	30	6.88	54	6.88
Azure	4	7.33	24		7.19	0	0	28	7.21
Total	8	-	96		-	130	-	234	-

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ACME to develop 74 MW of Solar PV Projects with an investment of Rs 600 Crs in Punjab

 

ACME Group, India’s leading solar power player in India, announced that it has emerged as the largest developer for successfully securing 74 MW of solar PV power projects under the Punjab State Solar PV Tender of 250 MW capacities, issued by Punjab Energy Development Agency.

As per the RFP document, ACME would be signing two PPAs of 24 MW and 50 MW capacity, at a tariff of Rs. 7.16/ kwh and Rs. 7.06/ kwh respectively.

Commenting on this momentous occasion, Mr. Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, Founder & Chairman, ACME said ,”We take pride in announcing our partnership with the Punjab State Government as the largest solar power developer in the State and help them  in their endeavor to fuel the Solar Revolution in the country.  We thank the Punjab Electricity Development Agency and offer our complete support to achieve their mission to bring down the GHG emissions through using renewable energy resources.  Through our expertise, we shall bring to the state the success of renewable energy similar to that the country witnessed in the telecom sector.”

This project would entail an estimated investment of Rs 600 crore.

Punjab has the advantage of 300 sunny days and estimated potential of solar energy at 4-7 KWh/Sq.mtr of solar insolation levels.  The state government aims to tap this resource for strengthening power infrastructure in the State by setting up Solar Energy based power projects so as to save the depleting resources for our future generation and to combat global warming, fast depleting conventional sources of energy and resultant increased environmental pollution and combat climate change

Source

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Bid Results of 250 MW Punjab Solar Tender - Indiabulls, ACME, Solaire Direct, Azure bag contracts

 

Crocus Infra of the Indiabulls group, Delhi-based ACME, French company Solaire Direct, and the American firm, Azure Power, are among those to have won mandates to put up solar power projects in Punjab.

The Delhi-based ACME group has won rights to put up 74 MW solar power projects in a bidding process put through by the Punjab Electricity Development Agency (PEDA). It has won 24 MW bidding a tariff ofRs. 7.16 a kWhr and another 50 MW for Rs. 7.06 kWhr.

The group will put up these projects with an investment of Rs. 600 crore and the electricity will be sold to the state distribution company at these tariffs.

With this, ACME’s total solar projects under development in the country have crossed the 700-MW-mark.

• Crosus picked up 78 MW (24 MW for Rs. 7.42; 50 MW for Rs. 7.56 and 4 MW for Rs. 7.45).
• Solaire Direct got up 54 MW (for Rs. 6.88)
• Azure Power 28 MW (24 MW for Rs. 7.19 and 4 MW for Rs. 7.33)

PEDA had issued a tender to buy solar electricity from 250 MW of projects. The total capacity was divided into three categories, with maximum bid-able capacity of 24 MW, 50 MW and 5 MW by a single company under each category. ACME won the highest allowed in the first two categories.

This is the second tender of PEDA. The first was in 2013, when the state selected companies to build 300 MW of solar power projects. Then, 27 companies won mandates to put up solar plants of 251 MW and sell electricity at tariffs arrived at through the bidding process. Back then, all but four of the 27 quoted tariffs higher than Rs. 8.24. Of the four, only two, of 2 MW each, were below Rs. 7.50, one of them Rs.7.47 and the other Rs. 7.20.

Punjab is a state of 50,000 sq km land, home to 27.7 million Punjabis. The state enjoys solar radiation of 5-5.5 kWhr/metre square per day.

Source

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South Africa offers coal to Punjab for thermal plants...

 

South Africa has extended support to the Punjab government for providing coal for its thermal plants, which would go a long way in making it a power surplus state.

France K Morule, South Africa's High Commissioner to India, told mediapersons that he had met with Punjab governor Shivraj Patil and CM Parkash Singh Badal on Monday and held talks with them regarding the forthcoming tie-ups with the state.

He said there were surplus coal deposits in South Africa and a regular coal linkage would be established with Punjab for its thermal plants. "We are a mineral rich country and would certainly like to have an agreement with Punjab on this, to which the chief minister has readily agreed," he added.

He was accompanied by a renowned entrepreneur, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who is the President of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Consul, Republic of South Africa for Northern India.

"We are here to promote trade investments, tourism and cultural exchange with Punjab as there are historical bonds between the two countries," said Morule. He added that South Africa relates to India in many ways and people there relate a lot to the Indian history.

Morule said in the meetings it was decided to have tie-ups for two food processing plants in the state. He said soon a study team would be sent from South Africa to study viability in the Kinnow processing sector of the state.

Source

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Welspun plans to invest Rs 1000 crore for solar power plants in Punjab...

 

Welspun Energy Limited, 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Welspun Group, is looking to invest Rs 1000 crore in Punjab to for 160 MW solar power plants.

A memorandum of understanding to generate around 160 MW is likely to be signed with the Punjab soon, after the land is finalised. "We are looking at power purchase agreement for 25 years," managing director Welspun Energy Limited Vineet Mittal told.

The company has set a target to generate 1750 MW (solar and wind energy) by 2017. It is likely to commission grid based solar projects of capacity 325 MW in this financial year. Welspun had already bagged a 35 (DC) solar power plant in Pun jab in July 2013. The agreement with Punjab government is likely to come with penalty clause in case of delay in implementation of projects. "Most of the projects have been completed ahead of schedule in the country. Our performance has been impeccable in setting up solar power projects," says Mittal.

Welspun Energy plans to invest around Rs 12,000 to 15,000 crore in renewable projects by 2017. The company is setting up renewable power projects of capacities 500 Mw in Karnataka, 700 MW in Andhra Pradesh, 100 MW in Gujarat and 100 MW in Madhya Pradesh. "We are aiming to commission capacity of 1000 MW solar and 750 MW wind energy by 2017," he said.

"Solar energy is not prone to inflation once the plant has been set up," Mittal said, adding that the alliances with global power majors were in offing.

Mittal said with the improvement in the technology requirement for land to set up solar projects has come down in the last few years. The ongoing financial restructuring has improved the fiscal health of the power utilities. "Some utilities have started paying in advance to avail discounts for the solar energy," he said.

Source

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Solar power a lucrative new opportunity for Punjab SMEs...

 

Vishav Mohan (name changed), a small entrepreneur based in Ludhiana, Punjab, was running a sewing machine company that was losing money owing to the decline in demand caused by a glut of cheaper models imported from China. He is now setting up a unit to manufacture solar panels for solar photovoltaic power generation on the same premises.

Other entrepreneurs in the region have already embarked on this road.

Vikram Hans, managing director of Multi Overseas India Private Limited, Chandigarh, said that owing to the increase in opportunities in solar power generation, he is manufacturing solar power inverters with high charging capacity. "There is huge demand from the telecom sector, as solar gen-sets are more cost effective than diesel gen-sets. Solar power is not an option but a strategic compulsion now. So there is a lot of scope for business expansion."

Jagat Jawa, director general of the Solar Energy Society of India, said that due to a fall in the cost of solar power generation in the past four to five years, the business had become lucrative for SMEs. "Four years back the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission had fixed the tariff of solar power at Rs 17.91 per unit, and this has now decreased to one-third. SMEs can make modules, solar cells, cables and small electronic parts. They can register as channel partners with the ministry of new and renewable energy to avail of business opportunities."

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission launched in January 2010 by the Union government has set the ambitious target of deploying 20,000 Mw of grid-connected solar power by 2022. One of the ways through which the mission aims to reduce the cost of solar power generation in the country is through domestic production of critical raw materials, components and products. This is expected to open new opportunities for small and medium entrepreneurs.

"There is a huge demand-supply gap in the availability of grid-tied photovoltaic inverters and bi-directional electricity meters. Most of these are either imported or provided by the big players, and are expensive. SMEs can make use of available technologies to manufacture such items. This would not only cut the government's import bill but also slash the cost of power generation," said Santosh Kumar, director, Science and Technology, Union Territory of Chandigarh, and also the director of CREST (Chandigarh Renewal Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society).

Chandigarh is one of the four model solar cities (the others are Nagpur, Pune and Mysore) selected by the Union government for setting up rooftop solar photovoltaic power systems. In a model solar city, a subsidy of either 50 per cent of the project cost or Rs 19 crore is given for solar power generation.

Uni-directional meters are used when the power is drawn from the grid. But in case of power generation by the consumer, a bi-directional meter is required which can register the electricity consumed and can also measure the surplus power supplied to the grid by the consumer. Such meters are presently available at an exorbitant price (about Rs 20,000 each). These meters can be sourced at a third of the price if manufactured by SMEs, added Santosh Kumar.

SMEs can also manufacture grid-tied invertors. These inverters can 'sense' the grid. When the grid shuts down, they divert power from the grid to the battery, saving power.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has been conducting a high-resolution satellite imaging survey to develop a web-based GIS tool for assessing the availability of rooftop space and radiation in Chandigarh. Amit Kumar, director (energy-environment) at TERI, said that SMEs can start making photovoltaic inverters, charge controllers, electrical components and metallic mounting structures.

With the tariffs for conventional power increasing owing to the high cost of coal and diesel, and the cost of renewable energy declining owing to the availability of better technologies, India is expected to reach grid parity (when the cost of renewable and conventional power equalises) by 2017. And since the Indian climate supports solar power generation, the investment in this field would be sustainable.

Source: Business Standard

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PSERC passes on customs duty benefit of Rs.600 crore to consumer...

 

Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has decide to pass on custom duty benefit of Rs. 600 crore availed by Sterlite Energy limited on account of grant of mega power project status to Talwandi Sabo thermal project be passed on to consumers.

PSERC in its order of December 27 on petition no. 41 directed the Sterlite Energy limited executing theTalwandi Sabo thermal project to render true and full account of benefits to PSPCL that ought to have accrued to it on account of grant of mega power status to project.

The Punjab consumer is going to benefit to the tune of Rs. 104 crore per annum for the next 25 years as the fixed charges of project will come down by 8 paise per unit. With a generation potential of the plant being 13000 million units, the Punjab consumer shall gain by Rs. 2600 crore over a period of next 25 years.

PSPCL has filed a petition before Commission seeking directions to Sterlite Energy limited on account of mega power status granted to 1980 MW Talwandi Sabo project and pass on all financial benefits claimed to PSPCL as per power purchase agreement.

PSPCL has claimed that the benefits of status were not applicable at the time of bidding in 2006 as per existing laws .In December 2009 Government of India revised the policy guidelines and modified the mega power policy. Talwandi Sabo thermal project was granted this status in August 2010.

Punjab Government issued the essentiality certificate to obtain necessary customs duty benefits and the company executing the project gave the undertaking and claimed all the benefits The company claimed that it is not liable to pass the benefits of new policy to PSPCL claiming that this was not a change of law. The benefits were granted to keep the power tariff low in the public interest.

Sterlite has been benefitted to the tune of Rs. 600 crore for duty draw back the non - payment of customs duties. As per article 13 of power purchase agreement the fixed charges of 135.4 paise per unit comes down by 8.064 paise per unit.
Similarly the Commission had granted a relief of Rs 74 crore per annum last November from power generated from Rajpura thermal plant on similar grounds thereby passing on a benefit of 8 paise per unit totaling to Rs.1850 crore to the consumers over next five years.
Round up of PSERC in 2013
Punjab consumer is going to gain about Rs. 300 crore during 2013-14 on as an impact of fuel audit conducted by PSERC for reducing the use of coal and other fuels at PSPCL thermal plants. This will reduce tariff by about 7.5 paise per unit.
Thus the vigilant eye of PSERC on private and PSPCL thermal plants is likely to reduce the electricity tariff by about 23.5 paise per unit during 2014-15, thus reducing the burden of 63 paise per unit proposed to be passed on to the consumer by PSPCL to 40 paise per unit.
According to In case PSERC applied the regulations strictly on PSPCL ‘s ARR petition in stringent manner ,there is a possibility of reducing the tariff during 2014-15 keeping in view the profit of PSPCL and PSTCL during 2012-13 and 2013-14 . These sources indicate that courtesy consistent tariff rises given by PSERC, the profits of PSPCL and PSTCL during last 2 years have crossed a figure of few hundred crore which the companies are hiding from the public to manage a rise in tariff during 2014-15.

Source

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Rajpura Thermal Power Plant unit of L&T at Patiala inaugurated by Punjab CM...

 

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the first unit of the 2X700 MW supercritical Rajpura Thermal Power Plant set up by infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at Nalash in Patiala district of the state today.
 
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and other prominent leaders and senior officials were present on the occasion.
 
The plant is the first major coal-powered power plant to be owned and operated by L&T through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), Nabha Power Limited.
 
A press release from the company said coal supply for the plant has been secured through a fuel supply agreement with South Eastern Coalfields. The entire power will be supplied to the state of Punjab.
 
Nabha Power had placed the total EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) order on L&T Power. In addition to the supercritical boiler and turbine generator manufactured in collaboration with the joint venture partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, L&T also supplied balance of plant equipment including electrostatic precipitators, coal and ash handling plants, chimney, cooling tower, control & automation, and switchyard.
 
Mr Shailendra Roy, whole-time director, L&T, said: “We are proud to have completed the project on schedule. With this launch, we have demonstrated our capability of constructing a large supercritical power plant. L&T Power has projects totaling 11000 MW currently under implementation on EPC basis for different customers in various parts of the country.”

Source

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Techno Electric to set up Rs 200 cr transmission grid in Punjab...

 

BSE-listed Techno Electric & Engineering, a leading EPC contractor and independent power producer (IPP), will build a transmission network at Patran, Punjan on build, own, operate and maintain (BOOM) basis.

The Rs 200 crore transmission network will be developed through Patran Transmission Company, a special purpose vehicle (SPV), now 100 per cent acquired by Techno Electric from PFC Consulting.

The 400 KV transmission system comprises of LILO of both circuits of Patiala-Kaithal 400 KV double circuit triple snow bird Line at Patran (5 KM) and 400/220KV substation with 14 bays at Patran, Punjab.

The inter-state network will have a system capacity to evacuate 1,200 mw of power, Techno Electric top officials said. The Kolkata-headquartered company has bagged the contract on the basis of BOOM for a period of 35 years.

Incidentally, Techno Electric emerged as the successful bidder selected through ‘tariff based competitive bidding guidelines for transmission services’, issued by the union power ministry.

“This promises to broaden our portfolio of power transmission projects. After the successful commissioning of the Jhajjar transmission network in Haryana, we are excited to work on yet another project, this time with a 100 per cent SPV under Techno Electric. The order by PFC emphasises on the significance of private participation in building India’s power transmission projects with new capacities and upgraded technology. We look forward to bidding and winning similar projects in the future,” said PP Gupta, MD, Techno Electric and Engineering.

The project will be completed within 30 months from the date of award of the contract and will ensure a sustainable income flow of around Rs 1,000 crore as transmission charges to the SPV over the concession period, Gupta said.

The company is actually betting high on transmission line and sub-stations being built on PPP model. It is already putting up 2 sub-stations and 100 km transmission line in Hariyana under KT Jhajhhar project, jointly with Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd and is keen on replicating the same model in other parts of the country.

The EPC business of the company notched up a topline revenue of Rs 515 crore in the last fiscal, while wind power business earned a topline revenue of Rs 180 crore and it is expecting its EPC business to grow by 25 per cent for the next one to two years.

Source

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Punjab to offer cheapest power to consumers...

 

Claiming that Punjab would soon become a power-surplus state, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Monday said that electricity would be supplied to consumers at cheapest rates in the country.

Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the first unit of the 1,980 MW Talwandi Sabo power plant in Baanwala village of Mansa district, 230 km from Chandigarh, Badal said that Punjab would become a power-surplus state with the commissioning of new plants in coming months.

The 660 MW first unit of the 1,980 MW super critical thermal power plant here, which has been built by the private sector Vedanta Group, was commissioned by Badal Monday. Once complete, the power plant will cost of Rs.11,000 crore.

Badal said the power project would boost industrialization in the Malwa belt of south-west Punjab.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the first unit of the 1,400 MW Rajpura Thermal Power Plant would be commissioned Dec 8.

Source

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Punjab to soon inaugurate Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura thermal power Plants...

 

Punjab Government to soon inaugurate the 660 MW Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant and Rajpura Power Plant; however the actual generation from these plants to start in the year 2014.

The government has fixed November 25 for inauguration of the 660 MW unit of the Talwandi Sabo plant, while the Rajpura plant will be dedicated to the people on December 8, the birthday of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

 

The government intends to inaugurate the two plants before the investors' conclave scheduled for December 9 and 10.

Sources said though the two plants would be inaugurated this year, the real power generation -- synchronisation of the units with the National Grid, would take place in January next year.

"The private company will only light up the boiler on November 25 and it will be declared as inaugurated," said a PSPCL official dealing with the private units. No plan of synchronisation of the units, which meant the real generation, had been submitted to the PSPCL or the Northern Grid, he added.

He said attaining synchronisation is a cumbersome process that would take at least a month. "After going through various processes when the unit runs on full capacity for 72 hours, only then the Northern Grid controlling agency allows synchronisation. So it will take at least a month to 40 days for synchronisation of the first unit of Talwandi Sabo," said the official.

The work on the chimney of the Talwandi Sabo plant was recently completed, while the last-minute checking to light up the boiler is on.

When contacted, PSPCL CMD KD Chaudhari said, "November 25 is a big day for Punjab as after a gap of 30 years another unit will be inaugurated. There is a set procedure of synchronisation that one has to follow. The commercial generation will start by December end, though the plants will become operational by November 25 and December 8."

Source

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Power from private plants to cost more in Punjab...

 

Punjab may be declared power surplus after commissioning of two thermal units in the private sector in the near future but the electricity tariff is going to increase.

Owing to less allotment of indigenous coal, the private power plants will import it from abroad and will pass on the extra cost to the consumers. The power with the imported coal (35% of the total) will cost 35 paise per unit more to consumers.

As per the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) analysis, in case of use of imported coal with landed cost of around Rs. 10,000 per metric tonne, the price per unit may increase to around Rs. 3.96 as the imported coal with Indian coal is to be blended in ratio of 30:70 resulting in a net increase of about 35 paise per unit in energy charges.

PSPCL has prepared itself to file the Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) petition before the power regulator.

Appellete Tribunal of Electricity (APTEL), as per an earlier decision, has already allowed that private power plants can charge the state governments for the extra expenditure on imported coal.

In view of that, Larsen & Toubro, the firm executing the Rajpura thermal plant, had sought the approval of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) for procurement of coal from alternative sources (imported coal) and passing through the landed cost of such coal in tariff under the power purchase agreement through a petition.

As disclosed by a senior PSPCL official, L&T in their petition to PSERC has submitted that the lowest price quoted by a consortium for importing coal was Rs. 10,000 per metric tonne. PSPCL had attended the tender opening, as per the officer. The petition also sought passing on of the cost of washing of coal and transportation cost of coal from Sirhind to the site of the plant as the railway line to the plant is still incomplete.

PSERC did not admit the petition and said that L&T is yet to negotiate the price of coal with the tender company for further reducing it and has observed that on the remaining two issues, L&T will have to go as per PPA. The Commission has directed PSPCL to remain associated with L&T in process of negotiations for importing coal to get lower prices.
 

Power plant           Tariff (Rs/unit) with 100%    Tariff with 35%
                                    indigenous coal               imported coal

Talwandi Sabo                3.62                                     3.96       
Rajpura                          3.37                                      3.69   
Goindwal                       3.63                                     4.05

 

Source

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Talwandi Sabopower plant to be dedicated to the public in November...

 

Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Badal has said that the Talwandi Sabo thermal power plant would be dedicated to the public on November 25 at a function organised at Talwandi Sabo.

Stating this here on Monday, after visiting the Talwandi Sabo plant and reviewing the progress, Badal said that the first unit of 1980 Mw of thermal power plant was being developed by Sterlite Energy Limited, a Vedanta group company, at an approximate cost of Rs 11,000 crore.

Badal further said that the plant would undoubtedly give a boost to the industrial sector and Punjab would be power surplus by the end of December. Power would be available to the people at the cheaper rates.

Source

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Power crisis looms large in Punjab as supplier set to stop sending coal...

 

Power crisis is staring at Punjab as all three thermal electricity plants of the state have failed to meet the generation target set by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in October, after the main coal supplier drastically cut down fuel supply to these.

The supplier has also expressed inability to continue sending the fuel after mid-November, citing political agitations at the mine site in Jharkhand.

Anticipating stoppage of coal supply for the state's thermal plants, the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) had shut down seven of its 14 units in phases during the last month, leading to a drop in the power output, sources said.

Against the target of 267 and 624 million units, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda and Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Lehra Mohabbat, could generate only 161 and 451 million units respectively. Both plants met only 60% and 70% of their generation targets respectively.

Only Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar had performed better by managing to achieve 98% of the CEA target.

Senior PSPCL officials revealed that the problem arose after Panem Coal Mines Ltd, a joint venture of PSPCL and a Kolkata-based company EMTA, drastically reduced coal supply from its Pachwara (central) mine in Pakur district of Jharkhand since the past one year, citing agitations led by state's former chief minister Babulal Marandi.

Officials revealed that while the company had supplied 70 lakh tonnes of coal to Punjab against the approved mining plan of 90 lakh tonnes in 2012-13, coal supply had reduced to a meagre 32 lakh tonnes during the first seven months in 2013-14.

Citing the "adamant attitude" of PSCPL authorities, Panem Coal Mines Ltd authorities had recently sent a letter to the Powercorp, asking it to take charge of the mine after November and urging it to deal directly with the agitating parties at the mine site.

Panem authorities said that coal, currently lying extracted, would be dispatched to Punjab's power plants by mid-November after which, it would be the responsibility of PSPCL to run the mine.

Panem had supplied 2,216 rakes in 2011-12, 1,820 in 2012-13 and 849 rakes till October this year for thermal plants of the state.

On the other hand, authorities maintained that the thermal units had been shut down due to availability of cheap power from other sources. However, officials revealed that PSPCL was purchasing power at higher rates than the cost at which it was being produced by its own plants.

"Average cost of power purchased during October 2013 is Rs 3.6 per unit. However, Lehra plant produces power at Rs 2.2 per unit, Ropar at Rs 2.5 per unit and Bathinda at Rs 2.65 per unit approximately," said a PSPCL official.

Chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) K D Chaudhuri and director (generation) G S Chhabra of PSPCL could not be contacted, despite repeated attempts.

Source

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UT solar project lights up...

 

The ministry of renewable energy of the central government has given approval to UT administration to equip solar energy plants atop private houses but curtailed their number from 300 to 230.

"We received the nod last week. Public notices will be issued and if more than 230 residents opt for the facility, we will hold draw of lots," said Santosh Kumar, director, science and technology, UT and conservator of forests. Solar plants of three categories, 1 kilowatt, 2 kilowatt and 3 kilowatt, would be provided to residents as per space of houses. One kilowatt plant requires 100 square feet area and would be able to generate 1,300 to 1,400 units of electricity in a year.

"The cost of the 1KW plant will be roughly around Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.40 lakh with battery. A resident will get 30% subsidy," said Kumar, adding tenders would be advertised within a week for selecting competent companies and later impanel them from where people could buy the equipment.

Sources said more than two firms would be chosen for supplying the equipment. A team of technical wing of UT's science and technology department would first go through the specification and technical qualities of the products before allotting them tenders.

The Centre had selected Chandigarh and Nagpur as model solar cities, asking officials to equip government and private buildings with solar plants. At a panel discussion as part of TOI campaign, 'Chandigarh-Back to the Future', on June 9, UT administrator Shivraj Patil said the solar city project was a priority agenda for the administration and would be pursued aggressively.

Over half a dozen government buildings, including Paryavaran Bhawan, Burail Jail, Punjab Engineering College, government school of Sector 46 and police headquarters, have solar plants.

The department had some time back identified five government houses in Sector 7 for installing solar plants, as a pilot project.

Source

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Power Prices in Punjab touches to Rs. 10 per unit due to network congestion...

 

Due to congestion in the power grid, power prices in Punjab are touching to Rs. 10 per unit at the exchanges.

This is the highest price in the country which has surpassed prices for South India which historically remained as highest.

South India prices used to be highest among all regions. But this trend has reversed with Punjab emerging as the state which is buying power at the highest cost nationally.

South India faces high power cost due to grid constraint. Grid connectivity between South India and rest of the country is limited. This has been the major reason for the region buying power at very high costs.

The cause of this issues seems to be the drastic reduction of Punjab's import capability in the recent past.

Punjab's import capability had, in fact, dipped to zero and the state had stopped buying power from the exchanges in the last several days. Now it resumed buying but it had to buy Rs 8 per unit which zoomed to Rs 10 per unit the next day. It has been hovering between Rs 8 and Rs 10 per unit since then.

However, due to rise in demand for power in Punjab, the state has been witnessing a spike in prices. Demand for power rose mainly on account of higher consumption by agriculture during sowing season. The state has already tied up for additional power from other states to meet demand for power. However, that is not enough and the state is now forced to buy power from the exchanges at Rs 10 per unit.

Whilst South India had witnessed a fall in price over the last one month between Rs. 5 per unit and Rs. 3 per unit.

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More literature on this...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/power-prices-for-punjab-touch-rs-8-per-unit/articleshow/21705786.cms

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10 MW Biomass based Power Project launched by Punjab Government at Mansa District...

 

A 10 MW Biomass based Power Project has been launched at Mansa District in Punjab by the Bathinda MP and the Non Conventional Energy Minister of Punjab to promote harnessing electricity from clean energy sources.

According to sources, the proposed project will be set up by Viaton Energy Private Ltd and the estimated investment outlay will be around Rs. 80 Crores.

The location of the Project is Khokar Khurd village in Mansa.

According to the government, the Biomass based Power Project will provide additional income of around Rs. 5,000 to the farmers from their agriculture residue.

It seems that the government is also planning for five more such biomass based power plants in the vicinity.

The government will soon harness biomass potential of the state by inviting bids for setting up of 300 MW capacity plants shortly. Twenty nine sites have been identified for the setting up of 300 MW biomass power plants in next three years."

 

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Additional Reading...

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Bathinda/Biomass-power-plant-launched-in-Mansa/SP-Article1-1101479.aspx

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