Question : GAS BASED POWER PROJECTS

(a) the details of based power projects operational in the country, the requirement of gas to operate them at full load, their installed capacity and the actual power generated from these plants during the last three years and the current year, plant and State-wise;

(b) the likely impact of hike in natural gas price on power generation on the power producers as well as the consumers along with the steps being taken by the Government to safeguard their interests, separately for both producers and consumers;

(c) the quantum of indigenous natural gas and long term contracted RLNG available for power generation at present;

(d) the capacity of gas based power projects lying idle at present in the country due to shortage of gas along with the steps being taken by the Government to overcome this shortage and augment their power generation capacity; and

(e) whether the Union Government is planning to operate certain gas based power projects only during the peak demand of electricity and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF POWER ( SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA )

(a) : The details of gas based power projects operational (as on 31.07.2013) in the country with their installed capacity and the actual power generated from these plants during the last three years and the current year, State-wise and plant wise is at Annex.

The gas requirement for above gas based power projects at 70/75% PLF (as decided by EGOM for non Andhra/Andhra Power plants) is around 72 MMSCMD.

(b) : Recently, Government has taken a decision to hike the price of domestic gas (effective from 01.04.2014) based on the recommendation of Rangarajan Committee. Ministry of Power had submitted its views that a base price of domestic gas beyond 5$/MMBTU may be unviable for the power sector in the present context and had urged that even though the decision to raise the price of natural gas might be necessary keeping in view the investment considerations, certain dispensation for a critical sector such as power should be evaluated to enable this sector to continue to offtake natural gas for power generation at a viable level.

(c) : The quantum of indigenous natural gas supplied in the month of June, 2013 was around 24.30 MMSCMD and long term contracted RLNG gas was around 1.98 MMSCMD.

(d) : Due to non availability of adequate gas in the country, existing gas based power plants totaling to 2978.6 MW are idle at present.

Government is making efforts for additional availability of gas to power plants and taking steps to increase domestic production of gas in the country and facilitating import of RLNG.

(e) : There is no such proposal as of now.