Hydro power generation constitutes only 16
percent of the total installed power capacity in India and the current
hydro-thermal mix stands at 20:80 which is a far cry from the ideal ratio of
40:60. Of the 1, 45,320 mw of hydro potential, India produces only25 per cent
at 39,893.4 mw. Around 76,439.5 mw hydro capacity is underway, of which 20 per
cent is under construction.Higher capital cost and longer gestation periods
have been a deterrent in attracting investments in hydro sector when compared
to the thermal sector. The cost of a hydro power station is typically Rs 6 to 7
crore per megawatt compared to Rs 4 to 5 crore per megawatt for a thermal power
station.Most hydro projects take four to five years to complete while thermal
power stations can be completed in three to four years.
Plan Period
|
Installed capacity
at the end of Plan (mw)
|
||
Hydro Power Installed Capacity
|
Total Installed Capacity including other R.E.S.
|
Hydro Power Share as % of Total Installed Capacity (in %)
|
|
8th Plan (1992-97)
|
21,644.8
|
85,019.31
|
25.46
|
9th Plan (1997-02)
|
26,261.23
|
1,03,410.04
|
25.4
|
10th Plan (2002-07)
|
34,653.77
|
1,32,329.21
|
26.19
|
11th Plan (2007-12)
|
38,990.4
|
1,99,627.03
|
19.53
|
2012-13
|
39,491.4
|
2,23,343.6
|
17.68
|
2013-14* (Apr-Nov13)
|
39,893.4
|
2,46,077
|
16.3
|
Hydro power development is essential to
maintain grid stability in a country like India where power generation is
predominately thermal. Hydro power stations, unlike thermal stations, have
versatile operating characteristics such as instantaneous starting, stopping, and
operating at various loads etc. which aid in maintaining power stability. The
inability of thermal power stations to back down in off peak periods can result
in dangerously high frequencies resulting in a grid collapse as well damage to
plant equipment. Inadequate hydro power stations reduce the operating plant
load factor (PLF) of thermal power plants thereby affecting the efficiency of
the power station and reducing its plant life.
Realising the need for hydro power
development, in 2003, the government of India embarked on an ambitious
programme to increase hydro power capacity in the country. The initiative was
to install 50,000 mw of hydro power generation capability in the country. The
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was responsible for preparation of
pre-feasibility report for the scheme and accordingly Preliminary Feasibility
Reports (PFR) of 162 new hydro-electric schemes totalling over 50,000 mw were
prepared. However, we have managed to add only about 13,000 mw in the past
decade. The slow pace of capacity additions is further corroborated by the fact
that even though around 37,081 mw of hydro-electric schemes were concurred by
CEA since 2002-03, 68 percent of these projects are yet to start construction.
For the past few years the government has been trying to fast-track hydro
projects but too little avail.
Hydro
Power Development Scenario in India (till November 2013)
The slow pace of growth in the hydro sector
can be attributed to both manmade and natural factors. A large number of
projects have failed to take off on account of environment and forest clearances
and agitation against development of the plant by people affected by the project.
Factors
plaguing development of hydro power
·
Difficult/in-accessible
potential sites
·
Land acquisition problems
·
Environment &forest
clearances
·
Resettlement
&rehabilitation problems
·
Law &order problem
·
Paucity of funds
·
Longer gestation period
·
Geological surprises
·
Inter-state aspects
·
Consensus on apportionment of
project cost among various beneficiaries
·
Excessive burden on account of
net present value
·
Natural calamities
Inter-ministerial
meetings have been held in the past one year on various clearance and policy
related issues to improve the investment climate for the sector. The ministry
of environment and forest (MoEF) is particularly looking into streamlining the
process with regards to environment clearance (EC) and forest clearance (FC)
which are normally examined by the EAC (Expert Appraisal Committee) and
FAC (Forest Advisory Committee), respectively,
to avoid duplication of efforts by the two committees
as well as multiple scrutinies. Further, EC and FC are two different processes
wherein applications for EC are directly dealt by MoEF while FC applications
are initially processed through various levels in the state government. MoEF is
expected to modify the earlier en-bloc timeline-based forest clearance to a milestone-based
timeline both at the Centre and state level.
On the policy
front, the government is likely to exempt hydro projects from competitive
bidding upto March 31, 2022.The graded reduction in permissible merchant sale
of hydro power is to be limited to delays arising from the developers’ side and
not on account of force-majeure like floods, cloud bursts etc. Both these amendments to be made in the
tariff policy, proposed by the Cabinet, are likely to attract investments in
the hydro sector. The government is also looking to make purchase of hydro
power by electricity distribution companies mandatory and for those states that
are unable to meet the proposed obligation would be expected to purchase
tradable certificates. All these initiatives would not only attract investments
but also contribute to the viability of hydro electric schemes particularly in
the north-eastern region.
The pros and cons of developing hydro electric power stations are
almost equally numbered and cannot be ignored. Large hydro power stations
require huge investments, have long gestation periods, displace people,
submerge land areas and in some cases face severe opposition from lobbyists.
Despite the cons, the power sector, fraught with issues of acute coal and gas shortage
and peaking shortages as high as 12,159mw during 2012-13, mandates tapping of
hydro resources to maintain the right balance in our power management systems. However,
environmental concerns should go hand in hand with development. This calls for
standards, protocols and safeguards to be put in place for sustainable
development of our power sector.
Infraline Energy Power Research Team
No comments:
Post a Comment