The Power Ministry has asked for diversion of six million standard cubic metre per day (mmscmd) from non-core sectors such as steel mills, refineries and petrochemical plants to feed power generating stations.
On May 6, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia wrote to Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily that a large number of gas based-power plants is getting stranded.
The new capacities in the sector which were added based on KG D6 gas availability are now on the verge of becoming non-performing assets, as gas supply from the fields has stopped.
The Power Minister’s move comes at a time when an empowered group of Ministers headed by Defence Minister A.K. Anthony is likely to meet to consider priority between various users of domestic natural gas.
Currently, there are 18,714 MW of gas-fired stations that require 72 mscmd of gas to operate at 75 per cent plant load factor. Against this requirement, the actual gas supply to these plants is about 27 mscmd that allows the units to operate at 29 per cent plant load factor.