Apart from the economic downturn, the country is going through an acute power shortage as well due to non-supply of mandated natural gas from the KG Basin.
As many as 12 power plants are lying idle and 19 power plants are affected by the non-supply of natural gas from the controversial KG Basin, operated by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. All these 31 power plants across the country were expected to collectively produce 15,000 Mega Watt every year.
“The supply of KG D-6 Gas to power sector has been zero since March 2013. Quantum of gas supplied to power plants during first and second quarters of 2013 (till August 19) from KG D6 was zero,” Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed the lok Sabha recently, detailing the list of affected power plants.
The 12 power plants lying idle are in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, and were together supposed to produce around 3,000 MW. Delhi’s Pragati Power-III (1,000 MW) and NDPl (Rithala), Andhra Pradesh’s lanco Kondapally Power, RVK Energy, lVS Power, Sriba Industries and Silk Road are not producing a single unit of power for the past eight months.
Gujarat’s Torrent Vatva, GSECl’s two power plants and Essar Power are the other ‘zero’ power producing companies due to non-supply of natural gas from the KG Basin.
According to the Ministry’s reply to CPI(M) MP Ram Chandra Dome, 19 other power plants in Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh were severely affected by the non-supply of natural gas. Out of these 19 power plants, expected to produce around 12,000 MW, seven power plants belong to public sector company NTPC.
As per the Petroleum Ministry’s estimates, RIl-operated KG Basin is falling short by a whopping 80 per cent of its mandated natural gas production. However, the Ministry has not yet initiated any fine, which is expected to be around three billion dollars against RIl. Former Petroleum Minister Jaipal Reddy was believed to have been shunted from his portfolio for slapping a fine of one billion dollar on RIl for shortage of production in 2010.
‘Efforts to import’ of the gas was the only solution suggested by the Power Ministry to tackle this big crisis affecting 31 power plants, together expected to produce 15,000 MW per year.
“Government is making efforts for the additional availability of gas to the power sector and taking steps to increase domestic production of gas in the country and facilitating import of RlNG (Regasified liquified Natural Gas)," the Minister told Parliament.