Latest news with #NHPC
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
ACME Solar inks pact to supply 250 MW electricity from RE project in Rajasthan
New Delhi: ACME Solar Holdings on Friday said it has inked a pact with state-owned NHPC to supply 250 MW of electricity from a renewable energy project in Rajasthan. The power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed at a tariff of Rs 4.56 per kWh for a minimum annual Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) of 40 per cent and to meet 90 per cent of peak power requirement of 4 hours daily, according to a company statement. ACME Solar Holdings Ltd (ACME Solar) signed a 25-year PPA with NHPC Limited, a AAA-rated central government enterprise, for its 250 MW Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) project in Rajasthan, the company said. This PPA marks a significant step in strengthening ACME Solar's footprint in the FDRE space while supporting India's clean energy ambitions through an innovative mix of solar, wind, and battery storage technology. The project will be connected to an ISTS (Inter-State Transmission System) substation for which connectivity is already in place. The requisite approval under section 63 of the Electricity Act 2003 for adoption of tariff has been issued by CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) on June 19, 2025, the company said. With this, the company's PPA-signed portfolio stands at 5,130 MW, of which 2,826.2 MW is already operational, and the balance is under various stages of implementation. ACME Solar's overall portfolio comprises 86 per cent offtake with central government enterprises and the remaining 14 per cent with State discoms. The company is an integrated renewable energy player with a diversified portfolio of 6,970 MW spanning solar, wind, FDRE and hybrid solutions. PTI
Mint
12 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
India's power grid gets a summer scare
New Delhi: India faced a power grid scare last week as electricity withdrawn from the transmission network exceeded the available capacity, raising fears about the grid's stability. The available transfer capability (ATC) in the western-to-northern corridor was about 22 gigawatts (GW) against the actual flow of 24.14 GW on 15 June, showed a notice sent to utilities by Grid India Corp. ATC is the volume of power that can be safely supplied between two points. The national power grid controller wrote to the generators and electricity distribution companies (discoms) in the northern region to either lower the withdrawal or ramp up generation. Also read: NHPC shelves plan for co-promoter stake buy in PTC India After temperatures eased in May, there was a heat wave in June, which would have increased the demand, mostly in northern India, leading to congestion, said Vikram V, vice-president and co-group head, corporate ratings, ICRA Ltd. A grid collapse is the worst-case scenario. Nearly 620 million people across 19 states and three Union territories went without electricity for hours together when the northern grid collapsed on 31 July 2012. In a wider blackout, the northern, eastern and north-eastern grids broke down on 1 August 2012. India now has a unified national grid. Vikram said instances of overdrawing were quite common till 2014-25, but have declined since then. Usually, in case of congestion, the grid operator may direct the utilities to reduce the offtake to avert any kind of impact on the grid. Issues arise when discoms draw larger than scheduled power from the inter-state grid to meet the high demand, he said. Addressing entities in the northern region 'over-drawing or under-injecting" power to the grid, the controller's notice said: 'The following regional entities, which are downstream of the congested corridor, are advised to reduce their drawal/increase their generation to decongest the system." Also read: EESL signs energy efficiency pacts worth ₹500 crore Grid India told the utilities in western and southern India to increase demand or decrease generation to decongest the corridor. 'This is a warning notice before levy of congestion charges and issued in accordance with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Measures to relieve congestion in real time operation) Regulations 2009," the notice said. The peak power demand of the country hit 241 GW, the highest this year, on 11 June. That day, the peak demand in the national capital reached 8,231 MW, nearing the record of 8,656 MW recorded last year. The peak demand on 15 June was 226 GW, also on the higher end. Tardy grid expansion Experts suggest that grid expansion is key for reducing incidences of congestion. More so when the installed renewable energy capacity has been rising. Although the government has an ambitious road map to expand the grid, progress has been slow amid land acquisition and right-of-way issues. Data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed that in FY25, only 8,830 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines were added, 37.8% lower than 14,203 ckm in the previous fiscal and way short of the target of 15,253 ckm. Mint earlier reported that clouds over vast swathes of north India in May had caused abrupt dips in solar power production, raising worries about the stability of the power grid that serves millions of Indians. Also read: Top power authority mulls sops for critical components as China curbs rare earth supply In February, the national grid operator asked all electricity companies to be alert and supply power to preserve the grid's stability. An analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in March said that countries seeking to prevent or address grid congestion should adopt a proactive approach to grid expansion by means of anticipatory planning and regulatory reforms that incentivize investments in line with countries' energy policy priorities. Congestion can also be mitigated by implementing grid-enhancing technologies, increasing transparency on available capacity, and creating regulatory frameworks and clear price signals to unlock flexibility from consumers, producers and energy-storage assets connected to the grid.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
ACME Solar inks pact with NHPC to supply 250 MW electricity to RE project in Rajasthan
ACME Solar Holdings on Friday said it has inked a pact with state-owned NHPC to supply 250 MW of electricity from a renewable energy project in Rajasthan. The power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed at a tariff of ₹ 4.56 per kWh for a minimum annual Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) of 40 per cent and to meet 90 per cent of peak power requirement of 4 hours daily, according to a company statement. ACME Solar Holdings Ltd (ACME Solar) signed a 25-year PPA with NHPC Limited, a AAA-rated central government enterprise, for its 250 MW Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) project in Rajasthan, the company said. This PPA marks a significant step in strengthening ACME Solar's footprint in the FDRE space while supporting India's clean energy ambitions through an innovative mix of solar, wind, and battery storage technology. The project will be connected to an ISTS (Inter-State Transmission System) substation for which connectivity is already in place. The requisite approval under section 63 of the Electricity Act 2003 for adoption of tariff has been issued by CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) on June 19, 2025, the company said. With this, the company's PPA-signed portfolio stands at 5,130 MW, of which 2,826.2 MW is already operational, and the balance is under various stages of implementation. ACME Solar's overall portfolio comprises 86 per cent offtake with central government enterprises and the remaining 14 per cent with State discoms. The company is an integrated renewable energy player with a diversified portfolio of 6,970 MW spanning solar, wind, FDRE and hybrid solutions.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Net zero needs green corridors, local tech, and R&D push, says top govt and industry leaders
New Delhi: India must scale up its nuclear energy capacity to 100 GW by 2047 to stay on track with its net zero targets, former power secretary Alok Kumar said at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. He flagged a mismatch between solar power generation and evening demand as a major challenge in aligning the country's energy transition pathway. 'India's big challenge is aligning our demand with our resources — we're headed for a solar-led future, but we generate power during the day and consume it in the evening. That's the gap we need to bridge,' said Kumar. He added that achieving 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and 250 GW by 2070 would help India stay on track, else the country may need to fall back on carbon capture and green ammonia to run coal plants in a limited way. NHPC Chairman and Managing Director Raj Kumar Chaudhary said that while renewable energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 is achievable, unpredictability of generation from solar and wind power poses a risk to grid stability. 'Unpredictability of energy generation via wind, solar energy is a challenge and requires ensuring grid stability as well as generation of more energy from hydrogen and biomass sources,' he said. Chaudhary added that green energy corridors are being developed to transmit solar power from high-potential zones like Ladakh to demand centres. 'The government is building green energy corridors. To enable this, 50 GW of renewable bids are planned each year till 2028,' he said. NHPC currently has 8,193 MW of green capacity in operation, 9,843 MW under construction and 9,030 MW in survey stage. The pipeline includes pumped storage projects in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states. He also highlighted India's plans to develop hydro projects in Nepal and Bhutan. Referring to concerns around environmental impact , Chaudhary said hydropower development contributes to vegetation growth. 'Hydro projects are often seen as reducing forest cover, but they actually help increase it. We undertake large-scale afforestation, often doubling the area used,' he said. UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp said global deforestation continues at a pace of 10 million hectares a year. 'If this continues, by 2030 we'll need two Earths to meet our consumption needs,' he said. He noted that India, with one-sixth of humanity, has emerged as a key force in climate action , and is now the third-largest electricity generator globally. NABARD Chairman Shaji KV said India's rural population remains vulnerable to climate change. 'India's rural population, which consumes one-fifth of energy produced, is vulnerable to climate change which is impacting production from gross crop area,' he said. He said farm productivity in India lags 30 per cent behind the global average and that concessional finance and non-market-based solutions are required. 'We can't burden low-income farmers with the cost of net zero—solutions must be concessional, not just market-based,' Shaji said. He added that with 75 per cent of India's infrastructure yet to be built, it is critical that future development is climate-resilient. Godrej Industries Managing Director Nadir Godrej said employee involvement helped the group cut costs while meeting sustainability targets. 'We've made strong progress on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Scope 3 is a challenge, but with supplier collaboration, we're confident of tackling that too,' he said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
NHPC CMD flags renewable unpredictability; 8,193 MW operational, 18,873 MW in pipeline to strengthen green transition
New Delhi: NHPC Ltd, India's largest hydropower company, has lined up a renewable energy pipeline exceeding 27,000 MW, including 8,193 MW of operational green capacity, 9,843 MW under construction, and another 9,030 MW under survey, its Chairman and Managing Director Raj Kumar Chaudhary said on Wednesday. Speaking at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025, Chaudhary said, 'NHPC has 8,193 MW of green capacity in operation, 9,843 MW under construction, and 9,030 MW in survey, including pumped storage projects across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and more — marking a major push towards net zero.' He said India's renewable energy capacity target of 500 GW by 2030 is achievable, adding that the government is enabling the development of green energy corridors to transmit solar power from high-potential regions like Ladakh to demand centres. 'To enable this, 50 GW of renewable bids are planned each year till 2028,' he said. Chaudhary also flagged the challenge of maintaining grid stability due to the unpredictable nature of energy generation from wind and solar sources and stressed the need for increasing generation from alternative clean sources such as green hydrogen and biomass. He said, 'Unpredictability of energy generation via wind, solar energy is a challenge and requires ensuring grid stability as well as generation of more energy from hydrogen and biomass sources.' Highlighting NHPC's role in expanding cross-border clean energy partnerships, Chaudhary said, 'Along with tapping India's hydro and pumped storage potential, the government is also looking to develop hydro projects in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. NHPC is already working in Nepal, where hydro potential remains largely untapped.' On the impact of hydropower on the environment, he said, 'Hydro projects are often seen as reducing forest cover, but they actually help increase it. We undertake large-scale afforestation, often doubling the area used, making hydro development a key driver of vegetation and forest growth.' He also said, 'Transition to net zero defines not just our climate goals, but the future of the world's most populous nation and a fast-growing economy. It's not just about emissions — it's about reimagining energy systems, industries, cities and lifestyles.'
