True to its commitment to filling the cleavages in system left over by a decade of policy paralysis and mis-governance under erstwhile UPA dispensation, Modi – government has sewed up a package for resurrecting 24,000 megawatt (mw) of power generation capacity based on gas. For starters, 14,000 mw of capacity with an investment of Rs 60,000 crores is lying dormant (no generation at all) due to absence of fuel linkage. Another 10,000 mw with Rs 40,000 crores blocked is operating at sub-optimal level i.e. below 30% due grossly inadequate supply of domestic gas. The relevant plants were commissioned in anticipation of abundant supplies from prolific KG-D6 field off Andhra coast [this discovery was made in 2002 and initial development plan (IDP) submitted in 2004 followed by an addendum to IDP in 2006] and others such as GSPC, Deendayal, Cairns, ONGC etc. Alas! supplies from KG-D6 have been a big disaster. … Continue reading Gas-based power plants ‘woes’ – look for permanent solutions