India Power Corporation Ltd (IPCL), a power generation and distribution company, is augmenting its renewable power procurement plans. It has also planned to add 200 MW wind power capacity by the end of 2015.

IPCL aimed to make mandatory renewable and cogeneration purchase obligation (RPO) an in-built process, said Hemant Kanoria, Chairman, at the company’s 94th annual general meeting on Saturday.

In 2013-14, IPCL procured 0.727 million units of solar power from Seebpore unit of West Bengal Green Energy Corporation or about 0.07 per cent of the total power requirement of the company in its distribution command area.

Higher solar power procurement rate notwithstanding (around Rs 5 a unit), this small component did not impact the company’s tariffs in the command area.

Wind power generation

Addressing shareholders, he said the company’s wind power generation capacity of 95.2 MW in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka recorded a growth in gross revenue from Rs 49.21 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 64.77 crore in 2013-14, a near 32 per cent rise.

"We are quite hopeful of improving further the performance of this vertical,” he said.

IPCL is a supplier to several business units such as the collieries of Eastern Coalfields Ltd as well as hospitals, government utilities and industrial and commercial consumers from its thermal power plant at Dishergarh in West Bengal. The company’s solar power plant is located in Asansol.

Thermal power projects

It is currently setting up a thermal power plant at Haldia in West Bengal. It has also planned thermal power projects in Bihar, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. IPCL intends to scale its generation portfolio to 10,000 MW in the coming years.

The company, through a wholly owned subsidiary, has started distribution franchisee operations at Gaya in Bihar.

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