THE MINISTER OF POWER AND NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY
(SHRI R.K. SINGH)
(a) to (e) : At present 37 Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs) (above 25 MW) aggregating to 12,763.5 MW are under construction in the country. The details of funds sanctioned, allocated & utilised, during the last three years and the current year, along with details of time overrun in respect of the under-construction Hydro-electric projects are given at Annexure-I. These projects are under construction, so no generation is taking place in these power projects.
In respect of Thermal Power Projects, as per Section 7 of the Electricity Act, 2003, "any generating company may establish, operate and maintain a generating station without obtaining a license/permission under this Act, if it complies with the technical standards relating to connectivity with the grid. Accordingly, sanction of the Government is not required for setting up of thermal power projects." At present 56 Thermal Power Projects aggregating to 56,650 MW are under construction in the country. Out of 56 thermal power projects, 13 projects aggregating to capacity of 8,575 MW are partially commissioned and generated electricity (from April-2020 to June-2021) aggregating to 44,647 BU. The details of funds sanctioned, allocated & utilised under these projects during the last three years and the current year, along with details of time overrun are given at Annexure-II.
The main reasons for delay in completion of Hydro and Thermal projects are as under:
• Work slowed due to COVID pandemic
• Contractual Issues
• Lack of readiness of railway line / Railway sidings
• Delay in supply by equipment manufacturers
• Delay in land acquisitions
• Disruption of work due to Local issues
• Litigations
• Delay due to change in design
• Delay in getting coal mines, coal linkages
• Geological surprises (in case of hydro projects)
The following action/steps are taken by the Ministry of Power (MoP)/ Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to ensure timely completion of Power Projects:
• MoP/ CEA monitor the progress of under-construction power projects through frequent site visits and interaction with the developers & other stakeholders. CEA holds review meetings periodically with the developers and other stakeholders to identify and resolve issues critical for commissioning of Projects.
• Regular reviews are also undertaken in MoP to identify the constraint areas to facilitate faster resolution of inter-Ministerial and other outstanding Issues.
• In case of Central Power Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) projects, the project implementation parameters/ milestones are incorporated in the annual MoU signed between respective CPSUs and Ministry of Power and the same are monitored during the quarterly performance review meetings of CPSUs and other meetings held in MoP/CEA.
• Various matters related with project implementation are being taken up with State Government/District Administration for facilitating the support in resolving the issues to the project implementing agencies.
• Matters are taken up with State Government/District Administration for extending help to the project implementing agencies in resolving Right of Way (ROW) issues.
• As and when required, issues are also reviewed in the PRAGATI portal of PMO for proactive governance and timely implementation.
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