Gas-based power plants want fuel allocation from upcoming fields

Severely stressed gas-based power plants have sought a “separate bucket for allocation/auction of gas” from the offshore fields on the eastern coast of the country where production is to commence soon.

As much as 24,900 megawatt of gas-based power stations operated at only 26% utilisation levels in the April-October period for lack of fuel supply. Around 12,000 MW of gas plants are stressed assets, 5,600 GW have had no gas supplied to them in FY20, while the rest had limited supplies.

In letters to the Prime Minister’s Office and the petroleum and power ministries, the Association of Power Producers (APP) has said, “The additional 30 million standard cubic meters per day (mscmd) of domestic natural gas to be available by FY23 from KG basin should have some quantity earmarked for the power sector plants,