R K Singh

Singh warns of debt trap for using borrowed money to give free electricity

Power Minister RK Singh has warned of a debt trap for states like Punjab using borrowed money to provide free electricity, saying such populist schemes are fine only if a state has finances. Electricity, like any other commodity, involves the cost of generating it, and if a state is to provide it for free to a section of consumers, it also needs to have finances to pay the generating utility. If the generating utility isn't paid, electricity will not be produced in the first place. In an interview with PTI, Singh said he has been telling states that electricity is not free. "If any state wants to give free power to any category of people, they can go ahead and do so, but you have to pay for it". However, states with already high debt are resorting to such populist measures, forcing them to borrow more to pay generating utilities, resulting in a debt trap. "You should not be bringing your state to a situation where it falls into a debt trap. Many of the states are close to debt trap

PowerMin reviews electricity supply situation as summer comes knocking

Thermal stations to defer maintenance, gas-based units might be asked to run mandatorily

Power sector to attract Rs 17 trn in next 5-7 years: Union minister Singh

Domestic power industry is expected to attract investments of 17 lakh crore over the next 5-7 years, Union Minister R K Singh said on Thursday. The sector has seen investments of Rs 20 lakh crore in the last nine years, the Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy was quoted as saying in a release by the power ministry. "During my tenure, we spent about Rs 2 lakh crores in constructing about 3,000 new substations, upgrading about 4,000 substations, adding 8.5 lakh circuit kilometres of HT (high transmission) and LT lines and 7.5 lakh transformers," Singh said while addressing an event here. On capacity addition, he said the country added 190 GW of power generation capacity, increasing it to around 436 GW during the said period. India added 200,000 circuit kilometres to transmission lines and the transmission system is the largest integrated transmission system in the world. It can transfer 116 GW of power from one corner of the country to another. "We are going to come up with

Govt finalises funding mechanism for battery energy storage system project

Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh has finalised the mechanism for deployment of funds for various projects to develop battery energy storage systems in the country. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) will ensure round-the-clock supply of renewable energy. The minister chaired a meeting on February 22 to finalise the structure for operationalising the scheme of viability gap funding for development of BESS with the capacity of 4,000 megawatthours (MWh), an official statement said on Sunday. Officials from the power ministry and those from Central Electricity Authority, Solar Energy Corporation of India, Grid India, and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd. (NVVN) were present in the meeting. Addressing the officials, Singh said that the government will encourage setting up of BESS capacity through a viability gap funding scheme to meet the fast-growing needs of power demand as well as energy transition. The minister said when we have extra solar energy during the

R K Singh meets transport sector to explore ways to utilise green hydrogen

Union Minister R K Singh on Thursday assured stakeholders that if required, additional funds will be allocated under the National Green Hydrogen Mission for the decarbonisation of the transport sector. Chairing a meeting of government and industry stakeholders from the transport sector in the national capital, he emphasised the government's commitment to energy transition and India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) commitment to reduce emissions intensity. The minister said that, if necessary, the government would be ready to allocate additional funds beyond the already earmarked Rs 496 crore for the transport sector under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, according to an official statement. There should be a concerted series of trials for identifying the potential of green hydrogen in the transport sector so that a national roadmap for the decarbonisation of the sector through use of green hydrogen can be formulated, he said. The roadmap should include details of pilo

Adani Power appoints Dilip Jha as CFO with effect from April this year

The Adani Power board on Thursday approved the appointment of Dilip Kumar Jha as Chief Financial Officer from April 1, 2024. Shailesh Sawa will relinquish his position as Chief Financial Officer of the company, following his transition to a new role, which shall be effective from closure of the business hours on March 31, 2024, a BSE filing stated. Jha, presently serving as Head (Finance & Accounts) within Adani Portfolio of Companies, will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer (a Key Managerial Personnel, categorised as Senior Management Personnel), commencing from April 1, 2024, it stated. Sawa was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in July 2020. Sawa will transition from his position to a new role in Group Regulatory Engagement for Adani's portfolio of companies. This transition is part of a leadership capability development initiative being undertaken across the Adani portfolio of companies in furtherance of a long-term vision to enhance employee engagement, build

More funds for steel sector under hydrogen mission if required: R K Singh

Union Minister R K Singh on Wednesday assured stakeholders that additional funds will be allocated for decarbonisation of the steel sector under National Green Hydrogen Mission, if required. Singh chaired a meeting of government and industry stakeholders of the iron and steel sector in order to discuss pilot projects under the mission, an official statement said. Officials of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Ministry of Steel and industry representatives from the iron and steel sector participated in the deliberations. The Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister said that the funds available under the mission should be used to develop technology for integration of hydrogen in steel making. "Some manufacturers have already begun to experiment using green hydrogen in the steel sector. The idea of this meeting is to decide the avenues in which the funds can be channelled to accelerate this transition, through a transparent selection process which also addresses the ...

Thermal power is back in business as govt makes commitment clear

Deals in Punjab and Odisha shows coal-fired plants are crucial to economy

India to develop responsibly, no compromise on growing energy demand: Singh

Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Tuesday said India will not compromise on meeting growing energy demands of the Indian economy, but will develop generation capacity with responsibility. Addressing an inauguration of a power pavilion set up by Ministry of Power at the ongoing India International Trade Fair 2023 here, he said it is the developed countries who need to cut down their emissions first. The minister spoke about India's position in the wake of the upcoming COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Singh said it is the developed countries who need to cut down their emissions first. "Around 85 per cent of the carbon dioxide load in the atmosphere is due to the path of industrialisation followed by developed countries. India's population is 17 per cent of the world population, while our contribution to carbon dioxide load is only 3.5 per cent." Even now, our per capita emissions are one-third of world average, while that of ...

12 Gw thermal power by next year to meet high demand, says R K Singh

Singh said most states agreed to enhance generation capacity - both conventional (coal) and renewable

Power plants to run at full capacity as electricity demand rises: Singh

Union Minister R K Singh on Monday asked his counterparts in states to run all power plants at full capacity to meet the peak demand against the backdrop of rising electricity consumption and coal shortage. The minister made the remarks at the inauguration of two-day National Conference of Power and New & Renewable Energy Ministers of States & UTs in the national capital. "To meet the growing demand, all states need to run all power plants and at full capacity," Singh said. He met with his counterparts in states and union territories and shared his views on steps being taken to address the growing power demand in the country, which he said is a sign of fast growth of the Indian economy. Singh further said some states do not run their power plants at peak capacity and instead seek power from the Centre's pool. If some states are not running their plants at peak demand, "we will not be able to supplement from the central pool. We have to focus on making sure that all our plants .

RE sources can meet 65% of world's power supply, 90% by 2050: R K Singh

Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Tuesday said renewable energy sources can supply 65 per cent of the world's total electricity by 2030 and as much as 90 per cent by 2050. Addressing the inauguration of the Sixth Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA), Singh said "Renewable energy sources have the potential to supply 65 per cent of the world's total electricity by 2030 and decarbonise 90 per cent of the power sector by 2050." Currently, he informed that around 80 per cent of the global population resides in countries that depend on fossil fuel imports, totalling a staggering 6 billion people. Singh, who is also president of ISA, stated that the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi also underscored the urgent need for a transition to clean energy. Singh also invited all member countries, ISA Partner Organisations and other organisations present to partner with ISA in making it a catalyst for the transformative change. "Our vision in mind when the ISA ..

Govt plans to register only India-made solar panels under ALMM: RK Singh

The government is planning to register solar panels made up of only domestically manufactured cells, wafers and polysilicon under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers in the next 3-4 years. Minister for New and Renewable Energy RK Singh has also asked the concerned officers of his ministry to prepare a policy in this regard. ALMM was introduced by the government to boost domestic manufacturing of solar panels. The modules with less efficiency are removed from the ALMM, the minister said. "We will evolve our policies. We will only protect those modules, which are made-in-India cells. In one or two years, we will bring such a policy. Then again, after 1-2 years, we will bring a policy that wafers and polysilicon should also be made in India. "We only register those players under ALMM whose cell, wafers and polysilicon are India-made," Singh said. The move will help in real 'Make-in-India'. The government will not promote the import of components of solar panels in the next

Govt aims to make India competitive in hydrogen production: R K Singh

The government will take all the measures to make India competitive in producing green hydrogen, Union Minister R K Singh said. The minister for power, new and renewable energy made the remarks during a meeting with the green hydrogen developers on October 19, an official statement said on Friday. "With our single unified grid and large renewable capacity, India can produce the cheapest green hydrogen in the world. We will do everything in our power to make India competitive in producing green hydrogen and to achieve the targets set out in the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM)," the minister was quoted as saying in the MNRE statement. The meeting aimed to understand the issues faced by the developers and how the government can help overcome these issues like SEZ policies, regulatory provisions for enabling dual connectivity, certain contractual conditions, and demand charges being levied by states among others. A presentation at the meeting showed that for producing 1 million

Star rating programme for solar PV modules to help consumers: R K Singh

Like home appliances, consumers will soon be able to choose solar panels with higher efficiency under the government's star rating programme for solar photovoltaic module, which was launched on Friday. Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy R K Singh launched the initiative which provides ratings from 1-5 stars on the basis of the efficiency of modules. In his address, Singh said that now consumers can make an informed decision. The ratings will help consumers choose the best of the panels while getting solar installations from vendors. "Like the appliances where there is star ratings you know which appliance is better in terms of energy efficiency. Similarly, now the consumer will not be at the mercy of the seller for solar installations. By checking the star ratings one can select the more efficient panels," the minister said. This will also help build consumer confidence and give a push to solar installations in the country, he added. The programme is voluntary for

India to achieve 500 GW renewables target before 2030 deadline: R K Singh

Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Monday said India will achieve its 500 GW renewable energy target before the 2030 deadline. Addressing FICCI's India Energy Transition Summit 2023, Singh also said had India not lost two years due to COVID-19, the nation would have achieved 50 per cent of its power generation capacity from RE non-fossil fuels, by now. India has 424 GW of power generation capacity which includes around 180 GW from non-fossil fuels and another 88 GW is in the works, the minister said. The country has a target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. "We will achieve 500 GW of renewable energy (RE) well before 2030," he said. Singh also said India's energy transition programme is at the top in the world. The RE capacity addition is the fastest in the world. New and Renewable Energy Secretary Bhupinder Singh Bhalla said India added 15 GW of renewable energy in the last fiscal year (2022-23) which would be increased to 25 GW in 2023-2

Power demand up 40GW-50GW on daily basis compared to year ago: R K Singh

Union Power Minister R K Singh on Tuesday quantified the pace of economic growth in the country in terms of rise of electricity demand, and said that India's power demand is about 40 GW-50 GW more than the corresponding day last year. Addressing a day-long conference on 'Green Hydrogen Pilots in India' here, he said India has the potential to be one of the biggest manufacturers of green hydrogen in the world. The conference showcased various Green Hydrogen Pilots being implemented by both public and private sector companies of India. "We have this huge economy which will continue growing at 7 to 8 per cent for the next 2 to 3 decades. Our energy requirements are huge. Our power demand has grown up by 21 per cent in August 2023, as compared to August 2022," the minister said. Singh further noted that on a daily basis, "our power demand is about 40 GW-50 GW more than corresponding day last year, that is how fast we are growing." He stressed on the need to take effective measures to

MNRE to seek Cabinet nod on mandatory Green H2 use, says R K Singh

Earlier this year, the Union Cabinet approved an initial outlay of Rs 19,500 crore for the National Green Hydrogen Mission

Talks on to set up grid interconnection with Singapore, UAE: Power Minister

Union Power Minister R K Singh on Wednesday said that the discussions are underway to establish grid interconnection with Singapore and United Arab Emirates (UAE) for cross border electricity transmission. The discussions come on the back of India's initiative 'One Sun, One World, One Grid' or global solar grid for transmission of electricity across the globe for mitigating emission challenges. Singh said that India is also working on strengthening its power trade infrastructure with neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Furthermore, plans are underway to establish infrastructure connectivity with Sri Lanka for power trade. "Discussions are ongoing with Singapore for grid connectivity, and similar discussions are taking place with UAE for grid interconnection," he said. An MoU has been signed between India and Sri Lanka to enhance electric connectivity and promote the use of renewables, especially wind energy. "Nepal is seeking investments from Ind

Rapid infra modernisation; India to be developed nation by 2047: R K Singh

Carbon trading to open for countries which buy Indian Green H2