By Business India Editorial

 

“The expected green energy generation by NTPC in the next fiscal year (2022-23) is 10 billion units (BU). NTPC intends to achieve up to 35 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2027,” RK Singh, Union Power minister said in a written reply to a query in the Rajya Sabha.

According to the reply, NTPC has entered the arena of green energy generation apart from managing 70 power stations. NTPC has 2,095.5 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity, including solar, wind, and hydro energy. Its RE generation in April-November this year stands at 4,089.64 million units, Singh added.

The minister also told the House that NTPC has an under-construction green energy capacity of 3,880.5 MW, which includes solar, wind and hydro energy.

In another reply to the House, the minister also told that the energy deficit in the country was 0.4 per cent or 4,059 MU during April-November this year – a total of 9,16,575 million units (MU) of electricity was supplied against the demand of 9,20,634 MU.

In another reply to the House, he said that the FDI (foreign direct investment) equity inflows in the power sector stood at $469.31 million in April-September during 2021-22.

FDI equity inflows in the power sector stood at $373.63 million in 2020-21, $672.16 million in 2019-20 and $1,105.64 million in 2018-19.

In the past decade since 2011-12, the power sector recorded an FDI inflow of $10,184.7 million. In another reply, the minister explained about the purchase of power at a high price. “As reported by power exchanges, some buyers have purchased power at Rs20 per kWh in the day-ahead market on power exchanges during the months of August 2021 and October 2021.”

He added that this was only around 430 MU, which is only 0.04 per cent of the total power generated (i.e. 9,94,233 MU) in the country during the current year 2021-22 (up to November 2021).

“The average price of electricity in the day-ahead market on power exchanges during the period April to November 2021 was Rs4.14 per unit,” the minister said.