To tide over the power crisis accentuated by the shortage of coal, the Indian government has invoked an emergency clause that will allow idle power stations running on imported coal to generate electricity, according to reports.

The officials from the Ministry of Power department have roped in those involved in the debt restructuring of financially stressed idle plants to make them functional. Apart from that, a government committee will facilitate passing on higher costs of generation to customers, the government said in an order, reports Reuters.

India has been facing long power cuts in some parts of the country as the demand for electricity surges on account of the summer season and low output of coal.

Stockpiles at coal-fired power stations have tumbled more than 14 per cent since the start of April, leaving about 100 plants with critical supply levels, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said in its report, Bloomberg reports.

The reserves are expected to shrink further due to high demand that will likely persist until the arrival of the monsoon.

Over 43 per cent of the plants fired by imported coal, which have a total capacity of 17.6 gigawatts and account for 8.6 per cent of India’s total coal power capacity, are currently idle, according to Reuters report.

Union Power Minister R K Singh has also reviewed the status of the coal import for blending in the thermal power plants with the states. Power Secretary Alok Kumar, senior officials of the state governments and electricity generation companies (gencos) were present in the meeting held virtually on Thursday, the power ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/electricity-crisis-many-states-facing-coal-shortage-says-maharashtra-minister-470690">Electricity crisis: Many states facing coal shortage, says Maharashtra minister</a>

The minister stated that the domestic coal would be supplied to all gencos in proportion to the coal received from coal companies.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-march-electricity-shortage-worst-since-coal-crisis-in-october-467206">Also Read:&nbsp;India's March electricity shortage worst since coal crisis in October</a>

&nbsp;He further advised the states to increase the output from the captive mines to meet their coal requirements, which will help in reducing the burden on the linkage coal.

(With inputs from agencies)

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To tide over the power crisis accentuated by the shortage of coal, the Indian government has invoked an emergency clause that will allow idle power stations running on imported coal to generate electricity, according to reports.

To tide over the power crisis accentuated by the shortage of coal, the Indian government has invoked an emergency clause that will allow idle power stations running on imported coal to generate electricity, according to reports. The officials from the Ministry of Power department have roped in those involved in the debt restructuring of financially stressed idle plants to make them functional. Apart from that, a government committee will facilitate passing on higher costs of generation to customers, the government said in an order, reports Reuters. India has been facing long power cuts in some parts of the country as the demand for electricity surges on account of the summer season and low output of coal. Stockpiles at coal-fired power stations have tumbled more than 14 per cent since the start of April, leaving about 100 plants with critical supply levels, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said in its report, Bloomberg reports. The reserves are expected to shrink further due to high demand that will likely persist until the arrival of the monsoon. Over 43 per cent of the plants fired by imported coal, which have a total capacity of 17.6 gigawatts and account for 8.6 per cent of India’s total coal power capacity, are currently idle, according to Reuters report. Union Power Minister R K Singh has also reviewed the status of the coal import for blending in the thermal power plants with the states. Power Secretary Alok Kumar, senior officials of the state governments and electricity generation companies (gencos) were present in the meeting held virtually on Thursday, the power ministry said in a statement on Friday. Also read | Electricity crisis: Many states facing coal shortage, says Maharashtra minister The minister stated that the domestic coal would be supplied to all gencos in proportion to the coal received from coal companies. Also read | Also Read: India's March electricity shortage worst since coal crisis in October He further advised the states to increase the output from the captive mines to meet their coal requirements, which will help in reducing the burden on the linkage coal. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION.

Indian govt invokes emergency clause as power crisis looms large

In February 2018, the Narendra Modi-led government launched a new bovine-centric scheme aimed at fulfilling India’s twin objectives—increase the income of farmers and provide clean energy.

GOBAR-DHAN—an amalgamation of two words gobar (cow dung) and dhan (wealth)— was launched as an extension to India’s cleanliness campaign, Swachh Bharat Mission, focussing on keeping villages clean, providing a clear revenue stream for rural households, and generation of energy from cattle waste.

The Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme seeks to augment the income of farmers by converting biodegradable waste into compressed biogas (CBG) and aims at attracting entrepreneurs for establishing community-based CBG plants in rural areas.

India’s Hindu community has long venerated the cows. Rural households have for years used sun-dried cow dungs as a fuel to heat stoves, despite government efforts to phase it out with subsidised gas cylinders.

But now, after four years since the launch, Indian farmers are finally reaping the benefits of continuing with their age-old practice.

According to AFP, villages on the outskirts of the central Indian city of Indore are being handsomely rewarded for handing over their mounds of cattle waste in a pilot project to help meet the city's power needs.

A 46-year-old farmer said that he has sold nearly a dozen truckloads of fresh manure at $235 per shipment —more than the monthly income of the average Indian farming household.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-prime-minister-narendra-modi-appeals-to-farmers-to-adopt-natural-farming-439330">&nbsp;Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeals to farmers to adopt natural farming</a>

"We have a very good quality dung, and we keep the dung clean to ensure it fetches the best price," AFP quoted Suresh Sisodia as saying.

Under the project, cattle dung, along with household waste, is sent to the plant to produce flammable methane gas and an organic residue that can be used as fertiliser.

Even though the intake capacity of the plant is limited for the time being, officials are working to increase the plant’s capacity to make through 500 tonnes of waste, including at least 25 tonnes of bovine waste, each day —enough to power the city's public transit system, with plenty left over.

"One half will run Indore buses and the other half will be sold to industrial clients," plant boss Nitesh Kumar Tripathi told AFP.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Would you use a toothpaste made of cow dung &amp; urine?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-would-you-use-a-toothpaste-made-of-cow-dung-urine-282096/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

(With inputs from agencies)

In February 2018, the Narendra Modi-led government launched a new bovine-centric scheme aimed at fulfilling India’s twin objectives—increase the income of farmers and provide clean energy.

In February 2018, the Narendra Modi-led government launched a new bovine-centric scheme aimed at fulfilling India’s twin objectives—increase the income of farmers and provide clean energy. GOBAR-DHAN—an amalgamation of two words gobar (cow dung) and dhan (wealth)— was launched as an extension to India’s cleanliness campaign, Swachh Bharat Mission, focussing on keeping villages clean, providing a clear revenue stream for rural households, and generation of energy from cattle waste. The Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme seeks to augment the income of farmers by converting biodegradable waste into compressed biogas (CBG) and aims at attracting entrepreneurs for establishing community-based CBG plants in rural areas. India’s Hindu community has long venerated the cows. Rural households have for years used sun-dried cow dungs as a fuel to heat stoves, despite government efforts to phase it out with subsidised gas cylinders. But now, after four years since the launch, Indian farmers are finally reaping the benefits of continuing with their age-old practice. According to AFP, villages on the outskirts of the central Indian city of Indore are being handsomely rewarded for handing over their mounds of cattle waste in a pilot project to help meet the city's power needs. A 46-year-old farmer said that he has sold nearly a dozen truckloads of fresh manure at $235 per shipment —more than the monthly income of the average Indian farming household. Also read | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeals to farmers to adopt natural farming "We have a very good quality dung, and we keep the dung clean to ensure it fetches the best price," AFP quoted Suresh Sisodia as saying. Under the project, cattle dung, along with household waste, is sent to the plant to produce flammable methane gas and an organic residue that can be used as fertiliser. Even though the intake capacity of the plant is limited for the time being, officials are working to increase the plant’s capacity to make through 500 tonnes of waste, including at least 25 tonnes of bovine waste, each day —enough to power the city's public transit system, with plenty left over. "One half will run Indore buses and the other half will be sold to industrial clients," plant boss Nitesh Kumar Tripathi told AFP. Watch | Gravitas: Would you use a toothpaste made of cow dung & urine? (With inputs from agencies)

How Modi govt’s cow dung scheme is solving India’s energy crisis and doubling farmers’ income

India’s power crisis on account of coal supply shortages seems to be easing thanks to the lower demand due to onset of winter in northern India and increased coal supply.

According to media reports, several states in India have rolled back orders to limit power supply as the situation eased.

The report said that Coal India Limited, the world's biggest miner, is expected withdraw its order to suspend coal supply to non-power utilities.

Coal stocks are likely to get replenished with increased supply with two major Indian festivals—Navratri and Durga Pooja—ending, an official said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-to-increase-coal-production-to-two-million-tonnes-per-day-in-a-weeks-time-420313">India to increase coal production to two million tonnes per day in a week's time</a>

However, the non-power sector complained of coal shortages and sought urgent government intervention to improve supplies and keep plants running.

The average coal stock at power plants is reportedly only enough for four days of generation but more of them were able to generate electricity without any hitch, according to October 13 data.

As of October 12, plants with a capacity of 137 GW had low stock, down from 142 GW.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-to-increase-coal-production-to-two-million-tonnes-per-day-in-a-weeks-time-420313">India to set up national mission on using biomass in coal-based thermal power plants</a>

Average spot prices on the Indian Energy Exchange cooled to Rs 9.67 per unit on Friday for Saturday delivery, from Rs 14 last week. Friday was shut for Dussehra.

A top state power official in India’s western Punjab said the power crisis was abating.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-orders-mines-to-up-coal-production-by-nearly-100-million-tonnes-state-media-419160">China orders mines to up coal production by nearly 100 million tonnes: State media</a>

He said the state, which witnessed power cuts last week, reported no new blackouts due to low coal stocks at power stations and rolled back electricity curbs on industrial units.

A similar situation prevailed in other states—Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan—with the officials not reporting any new power cuts due to coal supply at power plants.

Restrictions will be eased in the next 10 to 12 days, by which time average inventory at power stations is expected to reach a comfortable level of six to seven days, a senior government official was quoted as saying by local media.

Coal&nbsp;accounts for nearly 70 per cent of&nbsp;India's electricity generation and around three-quarters of the fossil fuel is mined domestically.

As Asia's third-largest economy rebounds following a coronavirus wave, heavy monsoon rains&nbsp;flooded&nbsp;coal&nbsp;mines and disrupted transport networks, leading to a sharp rise in prices for&nbsp;coal&nbsp;buyers, including&nbsp;power&nbsp;stations.&nbsp;

International&nbsp;coal&nbsp;prices have also soared.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

India’s power crisis on account of coal supply shortages seems to be easing thanks to the lower demand due to onset of winter in northern India and increased coal supply.

India’s power crisis on account of coal supply shortages seems to be easing thanks to the lower demand due to onset of winter in northern India and increased coal supply. According to media reports, several states in India have rolled back orders to limit power supply as the situation eased. The report said that Coal India Limited, the world's biggest miner, is expected withdraw its order to suspend coal supply to non-power utilities. Coal stocks are likely to get replenished with increased supply with two major Indian festivals—Navratri and Durga Pooja—ending, an official said. Also read | India to increase coal production to two million tonnes per day in a week's time However, the non-power sector complained of coal shortages and sought urgent government intervention to improve supplies and keep plants running. The average coal stock at power plants is reportedly only enough for four days of generation but more of them were able to generate electricity without any hitch, according to October 13 data. As of October 12, plants with a capacity of 137 GW had low stock, down from 142 GW. Also read | India to set up national mission on using biomass in coal-based thermal power plants Average spot prices on the Indian Energy Exchange cooled to Rs 9.67 per unit on Friday for Saturday delivery, from Rs 14 last week. Friday was shut for Dussehra. A top state power official in India’s western Punjab said the power crisis was abating. Also read | China orders mines to up coal production by nearly 100 million tonnes: State media He said the state, which witnessed power cuts last week, reported no new blackouts due to low coal stocks at power stations and rolled back electricity curbs on industrial units. A similar situation prevailed in other states—Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan—with the officials not reporting any new power cuts due to coal supply at power plants. Restrictions will be eased in the next 10 to 12 days, by which time average inventory at power stations is expected to reach a comfortable level of six to seven days, a senior government official was quoted as saying by local media. Coal accounts for nearly 70 per cent of India's electricity generation and around three-quarters of the fossil fuel is mined domestically. As Asia's third-largest economy rebounds following a coronavirus wave, heavy monsoon rains flooded coal mines and disrupted transport networks, leading to a sharp rise in prices for coal buyers, including power stations. International coal prices have also soared. (With inputs from agencies)

India’s power crisis eases on account of increased coal supply, onset of winter

Per capita consumption of electricity is one of the potent indicators of a society&rsquo;s human development index. India&rsquo;s per capita consumption has crossed the landmark 1000 kwph in 2015.&nbsp; Still it lags behind the world average (3126 kwph) and is way behind some of the developed and middle income countries like China (4074 kwph).

Our growing urbanisation and economic growth means we would need a lot more electricity than what is available today. In the year 2015 the peak demand deficit for power stood at 3.5 percent.&nbsp; A cursory glance at the statistics may elicit a response that it&rsquo;s not much. But the narrow gap between demand and supply is due to subdued demand. Once the economic activities pick up pace there would be a yawning gap between demand and supply.&nbsp;

To bridge this gap and keep pace with the rising demand we need a lot of investments in power sector and the central as well as state governments can&rsquo;t shoulder this responsibility alone. They need funds and foreign direct investment is a step in the right direction.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Since the beginning of 21st century the increasing demand of power raised the pitch for opening up the power sector for foreign investments. In 2012 the then UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government allowed 100 percent FDI in power sector.&nbsp;

Even before the overhaul of the FDI regulations in power sector investments were trickling in. Between the years 2000 and 2015, $9.7 billion was invested in power sector. Ever since the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government has come to power the total FDI inflow has been to the tune of $11 billion (in a span of three years).&nbsp;

These are impressive numbers but account for only 3 percent of the entire FDI inflow in the country. Of the 10 sectors mentioned by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) power sector was at the ninth spot.

The reason for cautious investment trend lies in the challenges posed by the structure and ground realities of the power sector. The biggest challenge is arriving at a competitive tariff structure which is acceptable to both the power producer and the consumer.&nbsp;

Due to lack of clarity in pricing which included absence of long term power purchase agreement (PPA) and weak demand in August 2017 as many as 21 GW (gigawatt) of commissioned private sector coal based power plants were lying idle or operating at sub-optimal levels. &nbsp;

Another peculiarity of the investment pattern is that most of the FDI has come into the generation arm of the power sector. The other two sectors transmission and distribution (which deals with the consumer supply) have seldom benefitted from large scale investments.&nbsp;

While investment in generation is always a priority, in India, equal if not more need is felt in the transmission and distribution sectors. India&rsquo;s Transmission &amp; Distribution Losses (euphemism for theft) stand at staggering 23 percent. This is due to faulty electricity metres, old and dilapidated distribution system and weak out-dated transformers.&nbsp;

To deal with this situation the government in 2008 initiated Restructured&nbsp;Accelerated&nbsp;Power Development&nbsp;and&nbsp;Reforms&nbsp;Programme&nbsp;(R-APDRP). The focus of the program was to bring down AT&amp;C&nbsp;loss, adoption&nbsp;of&nbsp;information&nbsp;technology&nbsp;in&nbsp;energy&nbsp;accounting, consumer care and strengthening distribution network of State Power Utilities.&nbsp;

It is here that the government can benefit from targeted FDI. This is a huge opportunity area as most of the state power utilities are financially weak and also don&rsquo;t have the technical and human resource abilities to upgrade the legacy systems.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Investments in manpower training, smart metering and general improvement of distribution system that brings down the T&amp;D loss from 23 percent to 10 percent or less will phenomenally improve the health of the state power utilities. FDI can be attracted by offering a long term stable profit sharing mechanism to those companies who bring in their technology as well as finances.

Another opportunity lies in the renewable energy space. In the last one decade, away from the eyes of the mainline media, renewable energy has scripted an emphatic story of growth and expansion. Even before committing to Paris Climate Deal, India had fundamentally revised its ambition of expanding installed renewable energy capacity especially solar energy.&nbsp;

Today our target for 2022 has been revised (20000 megawatt under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission initiated in 2009) to 100000 megawatt. Similarly wind energy goals have been revised and together the installed renewable energy capacity target now stands at 175000 megawatt. &nbsp;&nbsp;

If the government consciously directs FDI in solar and wind sectors as well as in manufacturing of equipments and batteries and storage research segment it would fundamentally alter the energy sector in general and renewable energy sector in particular.&nbsp;

This way India would be able to judiciously utilize the foreign funds and make up for the slow start during the first decade of the 21st century.&nbsp;

Our growing urbanisation and economic growth means we would need a lot more electricity than what is available today.

Per capita consumption of electricity is one of the potent indicators of a society’s human development index. India’s per capita consumption has crossed the landmark 1000 kwph in 2015. Still it lags behind the world average (3126 kwph) and is way behind some of the developed and middle income countries like China (4074 kwph). Our growing urbanisation and economic growth means we would need a lot more electricity than what is available today. In the year 2015 the peak demand deficit for power stood at 3.5 percent. A cursory glance at the statistics may elicit a response that it’s not much. But the narrow gap between demand and supply is due to subdued demand. Once the economic activities pick up pace there would be a yawning gap between demand and supply. To bridge this gap and keep pace with the rising demand we need a lot of investments in power sector and the central as well as state governments can’t shoulder this responsibility alone. They need funds and foreign direct investment is a step in the right direction. Since the beginning of 21st century the increasing demand of power raised the pitch for opening up the power sector for foreign investments. In 2012 the then UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government allowed 100 percent FDI in power sector. Even before the overhaul of the FDI regulations in power sector investments were trickling in. Between the years 2000 and 2015, $9.7 billion was invested in power sector. Ever since the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government has come to power the total FDI inflow has been to the tune of $11 billion (in a span of three years). These are impressive numbers but account for only 3 percent of the entire FDI inflow in the country. Of the 10 sectors mentioned by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) power sector was at the ninth spot. The reason for cautious investment trend lies in the challenges posed by the structure and ground realities of the power sector. The biggest challenge is arriving at a competitive tariff structure which is acceptable to both the power producer and the consumer. Due to lack of clarity in pricing which included absence of long term power purchase agreement (PPA) and weak demand in August 2017 as many as 21 GW (gigawatt) of commissioned private sector coal based power plants were lying idle or operating at sub-optimal levels. Another peculiarity of the investment pattern is that most of the FDI has come into the generation arm of the power sector. The other two sectors transmission and distribution (which deals with the consumer supply) have seldom benefitted from large scale investments. While investment in generation is always a priority, in India, equal if not more need is felt in the transmission and distribution sectors. India’s Transmission & Distribution Losses (euphemism for theft) stand at staggering 23 percent. This is due to faulty electricity metres, old and dilapidated distribution system and weak out-dated transformers. To deal with this situation the government in 2008 initiated Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP). The focus of the program was to bring down AT&C loss, adoption of information technology in energy accounting, consumer care and strengthening distribution network of State Power Utilities. It is here that the government can benefit from targeted FDI. This is a huge opportunity area as most of the state power utilities are financially weak and also don’t have the technical and human resource abilities to upgrade the legacy systems. Investments in manpower training, smart metering and general improvement of distribution system that brings down the T&D loss from 23 percent to 10 percent or less will phenomenally improve the health of the state power utilities. FDI can be attracted by offering a long term stable profit sharing mechanism to those companies who bring in their technology as well as finances. Another opportunity lies in the renewable energy space. In the last one decade, away from the eyes of the mainline media, renewable energy has scripted an emphatic story of growth and expansion. Even before committing to Paris Climate Deal, India had fundamentally revised its ambition of expanding installed renewable energy capacity especially solar energy. Today our target for 2022 has been revised (20000 megawatt under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission initiated in 2009) to 100000 megawatt. Similarly wind energy goals have been revised and together the installed renewable energy capacity target now stands at 175000 megawatt. If the government consciously directs FDI in solar and wind sectors as well as in manufacturing of equipments and batteries and storage research segment it would fundamentally alter the energy sector in general and renewable energy sector in particular. This way India would be able to judiciously utilize the foreign funds and make up for the slow start during the first decade of the 21st century.

FDI in power sector: Focussed approach is the key