Power generation loss due to high cost of alternative fuels

New Delhi, Feb 27 (UNI) The supply of gas to power stations remained inadequate and the use of alternative fuels such as naphtha and High Speed Diesel (HSD) was poor due to its high cost that resulted in generation loss, the Economic Survey said today.

The overall electricity generation by power utilities during 2006-07 was, however, targeted to go up by 6.7 per cent to 663 billion kwh in 2006-07, the survey said.

While thermal generation exhibited substantial acceleration in growth during the first three quarters of 2006-07, growth of hydro and nuclear generation slowed down, according to the Economic Survey tabled in the Lok Sabha.

The survey pointed out that the growth of such power generation during April-December 2006 was 7.5 per cent as compared to 4.8 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

Average Plant Load Factor, an important measure of effciency, of private plants was higher than the public sector.

During April-December'06, while PLF of SEBs increased from 64.8 per cent to 68 per cent between 2005 and 2006, the increase masked susbtantial variation across states with PLF for the eastern and north-eastern states significantly lower.

Coal continued to remain the mainstay of the power sector, with 54.2 per cent (69,199 MW) of total installed power generation capacity in the country of 1,27,673 MW as of December'06 in coal-fired thermal units.

The survey said out of the total 1,27,673 MW installed generating capacity in the country on October 31, 2006, 13,582 MW (about 10.64 per cent) is based on gas or liquid fuel (excluding diesel).

Power plants using super-critical technology have a higher thermal efficiency of about 40 per cent compared to 38.6 per cent of sub-critical units of 500 MW units or less.

At present all the operating thermal power are sub-critical units. Six super-crtical units of 660MW of NTPC at Sipat (3X660) and Barh (3x660 MW) are at an advanced stage of construction and their first super-critical unit is expected to be commissioned during 2009-2010.

UNI