Lok Sabha Question No. 3403 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-15
Subject: Improvement of Condition of Power Sector
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: PANKAJ CHOWDHARY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3403 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2018

## IMPROVEMENT OF CONDITION OF POWER SECTOR

†3403. SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the condition of power sector;

(b) whether  the  power  plants  in  the  country  are  running  on  less  than 65% of the plant load factor at present and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether  a  large  number  of  assets  are  lying  idle  due  to  nonavailability of gas from domestic sources to the gas based power plants;

- (d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to take measures to increase the production capacity of power plants and to provide gas from the domestic sources to the gas based power plants?

## A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER AND NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY

( SHRI  R. K. SINGH )

(a) : The details of steps taken by the Government to improve the condition of the Power Sector are as under:-

-  Ujwal  DISCOM  Assurance  Yojana (UDAY) scheme  has  been launched  by  Central  Government  for  improving  operational  and financial efficiency of DISCOMS.
-  Operational efficiency in generation, transmission and distribution has been enhanced progressively in cost plus tariff regime through performance  based  regulatory  approach  mandated  in  the  Tariff Policy.

..........2.

-  Deendayal  Upadhyaya  Gram  Jyoti  Yojna  (DDUGJY)  has  been launched  to  provide  funding  to  States  for  feeder  separation, electrification of all un-electrified villages and households, metering  of  distribution  transformers/feeders/consumers  for  rural areas.
-  Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) has been launched to provide funding to States for strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution system in the urban areas.
-  Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) scheme has been launched to achieve universal household electrification by providing last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all households in rural and urban areas.
-  State  specific  action  plans  for  providing  24x7  power  for  all households,  homes,  industrial  and  commercial  consumers  and adequate supply of power to agriculture consumers as per State policy have been prepared.
-  Transmission capacity has been augmented to remove transmission constraints.
-  Government  of  India  launched  National  Smart  Grid  Mission,  on March 2015, for optimal utilization of generation, transmission and distribution assets.

(b)  : During  the  current  year  2017-18  (upto  February,  2018),  the average  Plant  Load  Factor  (PLF)  of  coal  and  lignite  based  stations  was 60.24%. The average PLF of the gas based stations, including the capacity run of imported gas, was 23%.

(c) & (d) : The total gas based installed capacity in the country is 25,150 MW and the  gas  required  for  this  capacity  is  around  114  Million  Metric Standard Cubic Meters per Day (MMSCMD). Against this requirement, only 22.91  MMSCMD  domestic  gas  was  supplied  to  the  gas  based  power stations in the year 2017-18. As a result many gas based power plants are not  operating  at  their  full  potential  and  some  of  them  are  not  at  all operating.

(e) : The  Government  has  taken  steps  to  augment  production  of natural gas from the gas fields/wells by awarding gas blocks for Exploration & Production activities in various sedimentary basins of the country  under  the  Hydrocarbon  Exploration  and  Licensing  Policy  (HELP) formulated in March, 2016. In addition to this, the Government has also formulated Policy for marketing freedom for gas produced from Deepwater & Ultra Deepwater areas.

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