Govt may restart NTPC plants with imported gas as coal shortage looms large

Amidst the fear of a coal supply shortage in the monsoon months, the government is mulling the use of imported gas to restart NTPC plants with a total capacity of more than 5GW to ensure a continuous supply of power, said an Economic Times report.

The electricity produced from imported gas is expected to cost Rs 22-23 per unit, which is four to five times higher than current tariffs. This is seen as a last resort since all available power plants are already running at full capacity to meet the high electricity demands during summer, officials said.