A sharp rise in generation from renewable and hydel sources has kept spot power prices in check, making adequate power available at affordable rates for meeting record demand due to the heat wave sweeping across the country.
“There is no shortage of power. There is plenty of renewable power available. Hydel systems like Bhakra-Beas have stored adequate water. Thermal plants are doing well. We are prepared (to meet demand spike),” power minister R K Singh told TOI. A 24% increase in generation from renewable energy projects and 10% increase in supply from hydel projects in the April-May period have checked spot power prices in the region of Rs 3.40 in spite of the demand spike. This has allowed states to buy power to keep blackouts at bay.
Consider: Energy supply gap during April-May declined to 0.4% of the demand from 0.7% in the same period of 2018. Similarly, peak shortage stood at 0.5% against 0.7% in the same period last year.
Higher renewable and hydel generation have also prevented faster depletion of fuel stock at coal-fired plants, which increased production by just 2.5% from a year-ago period. This will allow them to be better position to tackle additional demand due to sweltering heat seen from July onwards when rains also impact coal supply.
A concerted effort by the coal and power ministries over the last few months have built fuel inventories good for 15 days operation at 112 out of 114 power plants monitored by the Central Electricity Authority. Generation from coal-fired plants accounted for 72% of total generation in the April-May period.
