September 07, 2008

Gujarat to buy 3200 MW from private firms to meet demand

It is reported that Gujarat government has proposed to purchase 3,200 MW through the competitive bidding rate from private producers to meet the growing demand for power. Besides, the state government is setting up new power stations, ramping up capacity of the existing plants and improving the plant load factor.

The state’s present installed capacity is 9,000 MW while the unrestricted demand is 11,500 MW resulting in a deficit of 2500 MW. With the Jyotigram project consuming 16% of the state’s total electricity generation, the deficit is likely to increase in coming days. Also, with power consumption going up in summers, there is a concern regarding power supply.

A senior state government official said that "Between January and the first week of March 2008, there were 16 occasions when supply tripped. This has resulted in damages to electric appliances of farmers. The move will help us curb the problem."

The state government plans to add 11,164 MW by the end of 2012, taking the total installed capacity of the state to nearly 20,000 MW. During 2009, projects such as Dhuvaran CCPP having a capacity of 472 MW and Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station unit IV with 75 MW will be set up by Gujarat State Electricity Company Limited.