According to estimates, energy demand in April this year is expected to reach 1,42,097 ME.
The government has asked energy companies to ensure there are no load outages during the summer season and urged all stakeholders to take proactive measures to meet rising electricity demand.
Union Power Minister RK Singh chaired a review meeting on March 7 with senior officials from the Ministries of Power, Coal and Railways on various aspects in an effort to meet the high demand for electricity in the ensuing summer months.
At the meeting, Mr Singh asked energy companies to ensure no power outages during the summer months, a statement from the Ministry of Energy said.
He asked all stakeholders to closely monitor the situation and take proactive measures to meet electricity demand in the coming months.
He also asked the Central Electricity Authority to ensure that a fair and transparent mechanism is devised for allocating coal to different states/UTs.
According to estimates from the Central Electricity Authority, peak electricity demand in April this year is expected to reach 229 GW. Demand then decreases as the monsoon season picks up from the southern part of the country and covers the entire country over the next 3-4 months, the company said.
With a GDP growth rate of nearly 7 percent, the country’s power demand has been growing at nearly 10 percent a year, it added.
According to estimates, energy demand in April this year is expected to reach 1,42,097 million units, the highest of the year, before falling to 1,41,464 million units in May and further falling to 1,17,049 million units in November.
The Department of Energy has devised a multifaceted strategy to ensure adequate power availability during the coming summer months, it stated.
As part of the strategy, the energy companies have been instructed to carry out maintenance on coal-fired power stations well in advance, so that no scheduled maintenance is required during the crisis period.
Directions have already been given under Section 11 (of the Electricity Act) to all imported coal plants to run at full capacity from March 16, 2023.
Sufficient coal stocks would be available at the coal-fired power plants.
The Ministry of Railways agreed to supply 418 rakes to various subsidiaries of CIL, GSS and captive blocks and also to expand the number of rakes in due course so that sufficient coal stocks can be maintained at power stations, it said.
Gas-based power would be used to meet any peak demand, it stated.
The ministry has instructed NTPC to operate its 5,000 MW gas plants during the crisis period in April-May.
In addition, 4,000 MW of additional gas-based power capacity would be added by other entities for availability during the summer months.
GAIL has already assured the Department of Energy of the necessary gas supply during the summer months.
All hydro plants have been instructed to work in coordination with RLDCs/SLDCs (Regional/State Load Dispatch Centres) to optimize water use in the current month for better availability during the following month.
An additional capacity of 2,920 MW would be available through new coal-fired power stations due to be commissioned at the end of this month.
In addition, two units on Barauni (2X110MW) will be made available during the crisis period on the direction of the Ministry.
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