Gas-based power plants running at 24% capacity

NEW DELHI: Almost all the gas-based power projects in the country are functioning at an average capacity of just about 24 per cent due to massive gas shortage.

"At least 18,000 MW gas-based power projects which do not buy gas via APM (Accelerated Price Mechanism) are running at about 24 per cent PLF (plant load factor)," a Power Ministry official told PTI.

On the future of gas-based projects in the country, the official said: "The situation is getting very serious."

There are 55 gas-based stations -- 14 in Andhra Pradesh, 12 (Gujarat), 6 ( Tamil Nadu), 5 ( Assam), 4 each in Delhi and Tripura, 3 each in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, 2 (Uttar Pradesh) and one each in Haryana and Puducherry. Their total capacity is 18,903.05 MW.

"Power plants which are fed with APM gas are running at about 50 per cent capacity, but the average capacity of gas-based plants in the entire nation is 24 per cent," the official said.

State-owned NTPC's seven gas-based plants -- Anta (Rajasthan) 413 MW, Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh) 652 MW, Kawas (Gujarat) 645 MW, Dadri (Uttar Pradesh) 817 MW, Jhanor-Gandhar (Gujarat) 648 MW, Rajiv Gandhi CCPP Kayamkulam (Kerala) 350 MW, Faridabad (Haryana) 430 MW -- are running at about 50 per cent capacity. These plants mainly run on APM gas.

However, the company sometimes faces electricity demand constraints from the states due to higher cost of power from plants with APM gas, the official said.

Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt ltd (RGPPL) is stuck because of no supply from RIL's prolific KG basin.

NTPC and GAIL own 33.41 per cent each in RGPPL, 16.04 per cent is held by Maharashtra State Electricity Board and the remaining 17.14 per cent by the financial institutions.