Government warning before summer! The energy minister said the companies should ensure that there is no power cut. Union Power Minister RK Singh reviewed the power situation during the upcoming summer power crisis

Union Energy Minister RK Singh. (file image)

Union Ministry of Power Ltd. has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to ensure adequate power availability during the coming summer months. Union Energy Minister RK Singh He held a review meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Power Sector, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Railways on Tuesday. It is expected to remain high in the coming months, especially in April and May. Energy demand Various aspects to fulfill are discussed in detail

In this meeting, Union Energy Secretary Alok Kumar, Central Electricity Authority Chairman Ghanshyam Prasad, CMD Grid Controller S.R. Narasimhan, Railway Board Member Jaya Verma Sinha, Coal Ministry Joint Secretary Sanjeev Kumar besides NTPC Operations Director Ramesh Babu.

Instructions for power utilities

Meanwhile, as part of a multi-pronged strategy to meet increased power demand in the coming days, power utilities have been directed to maintain coal-based power plants. In order not to require additional maintenance in any plant during crisis, apart from this, guidelines have been issued under Section-11 to run all imported coal based plants at full capacity from 16 March 2023.

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Sufficient coal reserves in power plants

Apart from this, adequate coal stockpiling in coal-based power plants is assured. In the meeting, the Railway Board assured the availability of sufficient rakes for transporting coal. The Ministry of Railways has agreed to supply 418 rakes to CIL, GSS and various subsidiaries of captive blocks and increase the number of rakes in due course to maintain adequate coal stock in power plants.

Use of gas based electricity

In the meeting it was decided to use gas based electricity to meet the peak demand. The ministry has directed NTPC to run its 5000 MW gas-based power stations during the crisis period in April-May. Also, additional 4000 MW gas based power will be added by other companies for availability during summer months.

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Assurance of Ministry of Power

GAIL has already assured the power ministry for the required gas supply during the summer months. All hydro plants are directed to work in consultation with RLDC/SLDC (Regional/State Load Dispatch Centre). An additional 2920 MW of capacity will be available through the new coal-based plant which will be commissioned later this month. Also, following the directives of the Ministry, two units (2X110MW) at Barauni will be made available during crisis.

No load shedding during summer months

During the meeting, the Union Power Minister asked the power companies to ensure that there is no load shedding during the summer months. RK Singh asked all stakeholders to monitor the situation closely and take proactive steps to meet the power demand in the coming months, Energy Minister asked CEA to ensure that various states/UTs have a fair and transparent system for coal allocation. to the state

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Electricity demand is highest in April

According to estimates by the Central Electricity Authority, the peak power demand is expected to be 229GW in April, when the country’s power demand will be the highest. After that, the monsoon season started from the southern part of the country and in the next 3-4 months, the demand decreased as it covered the entire country. As the GDP grows at a rate of around 7 per cent, the demand for electricity in the country is increasing at around 10 per cent annually. As per estimates, energy demand is expected to be 1,42,097 MU in April 2023, peaking in 2023 before declining to 1,41,464 MU in May 2023 and further declining to 1,17,049 MU in November. is happening

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