The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is expecting a rise in power generation by 3,500-4,000 Mw once natural gas from Reliance Industries’ eastern offshore KG-D6 block starts flowing to gas-based power plants in the country.
“We are expecting power generation in the country to be ramped up by 3,500-4,000 Mw once RIL’s KG basin gas starts flowing to the existing as well as new gas-based power plants in the country,” CEA Chairman Rakesh Nath told reporters.
With supply of around 18 million standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of gas from the KG-D6 block, the fuel shortage of gas-based power plants would be down to 17 MMSCMD. Fuel-starved gas-based power plants with an installed capacity of 14,734 Mw in the country are getting a supply of 35 MMSCMD against the requirement of 70 MMSCMD.
Reliance Industries is expected to start gas production by the first week next month. Initial output may be 5-10 MMSCMD, rising to 15-20 MMSCMD by April and to 40 MMSCMD by July or August this year. Commenting on the short supply of gas to the power sector, Nath said, “(Currently) we are getting around 34-35 MMSCMD of gas for the power sector in the country against the requirement of 70 MMSCMD. With RIL’s gas supply the gas deficit for the power plant would come down from 35 to 17 MMSCMD.”
“There is a power deficit of around 25,000 Mw in the country. The total installed power generation capacity in the country is around 1,47,000 Mw,” Rakesh Nath added. Under the government’s policy of giving priority to sectors including fertiliser, power and city gas, gas will get allocated among plants, with the maximum outlay being 18 MMSCMD.
“Gas-based plants of NTPC are running at a 68 per cent plant load factor, facing a shortfall of 5-6 MMSCMD,” NTPC Director (Operations) Chandan Roy told reporters. NTPC has seven such plants — at Anta (413 Mw), Auraiya (652 Mw), Dadri (817 Mw), Faridabad (430 Mw), Kawas (645 Mw), Gandhar (648 Mw) and Kayamkulam (350 Mw), with a total installed capacity of 3,955 Mw. The gas requirement to operate these NTPC plants at a 90 per cent plant load factor is around 17.35 MMSCMD.