In a written reply tabled on the floor during the ongoing monsoon session, the power minister said the formalities to sign PPA with Ratnagiri Gas and Power Project Limited are in progress. This pact is likely to help Goa to meet the increasing power requirement which currently varies from 280 MW to 440 MW.
The Maharashtra government will lend Rs 550 crore (Rs 5.5 billion) to Ratnagiri Gas & Power, earlier called Dabhol Power Company
The special purpose vehicle floated by GAIL(India) Ltd and National Thermal Power Corporation to revive the 2,184 MW Dabhol power plant has been named 'Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd'.
The agreement guarantees energy availability for GE's power generation equipment, improving the plant's production, and supply and repairs of spare parts. RGPPL, which owns the gas-based plant, was incorporated in 2005 to revive generation at the facility which had been beset by problems like equipment failure and a financial crunch.
Ratnagiri Gas & Power did some local development under its corporate social responsibility programme.
Reliance Industries has inked deals to supply gas from its eastern offshore KG-D6 fields to most power sector consumers, including Essar Power and an Anil Ambani Group firm.
The proposed expansion of the Dabhol power project under Ratnagiri Gas & Power Pvt Ltd (RGPPL) by 2,100 Mw from the present capacity of 1,940 Mw has been stalled for want of assured gas supply from the KG-D6 gas field, operated by Reliance Industries Ltd, and adequate number of power procuring states.
The beleaguered Dabhol power plant will from October 1 start buying natural gas from Reliance Industries to cut electricity generation cost at the nation's largest gas-fired unit.
The government had this month more than doubled RGPPL's allocation from KG-D6 to 5.67 million standard cubic meters per day that will help generate about 1,000 MW of electricity.
MahaVitaran, which draws 95 per cent of the power from the project, has started drawing power at Rs 4 per unit.
The laying of gas pipeline to feed the 2,150-Mw Dabhol power plant owned by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Ltd has been delayed again.
The government has asked Reliance Industries to supply natural gas from the company's eastern offshore D6 fields to the beleaguered Dabhol power plant, a segment that gets top preference for gas allocation along with fertiliser units.
The Maharashtra government is heavily banking upon Dabhol power plant to start functioning at its full capacity of 2,150 Mw to help the state tackle the 5,000 Mw shortage during peak summer season.
The Empowered Group of Ministers on Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd on Wednesday decided to pool the price of gas for Dabhol
The Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd is likely to get gas for power production by June-end, GAIL (India) chairman UB Choubey said.
GAIL India's ambitious pipeline project - Dahej Uran Pipeline project - has been delayed beyond its set deadline of March 31, 2007
RGPPL has signed a power purchase agreement with the government of Daman and Diu for selling about 98 Mw of power from July.
In line with the target to restart Dabhol power plant next year, Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd will soon begin the process for signing a power urchase Agreement with Maharashtra with an offer to sell power at around Rs 2.70 per unit.
Ratnagiri Gas will be an equal JV between NTPC and GAIL if MSEB which has been offered a small stake does not pick up equity
Dabhol power plant is a lesson on what to avoid while setting up large infrastructure projects.
The turnaround has been possible due to availability of domestic gas on priority.
The project, with total generation capacity of 1,967 Mw, has been shut since Thursday, owing to shortage of gas.
The project is currently generating 240 MW against its total capacity of 1,967 MW.
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, the nation's Power regulator, has allowed Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Ltd, the new owner of Dabhol power project, to sell electricity to Maharashtra government.
Maharashtra on Monday said the LNG pipeline for supplying gas to the beleaguered Ratnagiri (erstwhile Dabhol) power plant would be completed by April this year after which the cost of power would work out to be Rs 3 per unit.
State-run Gail (India) Ltd on Friday approved Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) investment in Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, the special purpose vehicle created to restart Dabhol power plant in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
This comes close on the heels of the ministry's stand on the development of a new international airport in Navi Mumbai.
Ratnagiri Gas and Power, firm that now runs the Dabhol plant, was allocated 7.6 mmscmd of KG-D6 gas.
Dredging of the sea-channel leading to the Dabhol terminal is likely to be completed by end of 2011 but the construction of a breakwater that will guard ships against high tides, was not likely before 2013-14.
The beleaguered Dabhol power plant in Maharashtra is likely to start generating electricity, using gas as feedstock from the second week of August once promoters sort out payment issues.
The 2,140-Mw Dabhol power plant, operated by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, continues to remain idle even though the Supreme Court has vacated the stay by the Gujarat high court on pooling of gas prices.
The Dabhol power plant has seen power generation plunge in recent days on account of dwindling gas supplies.
Assuring that next Diwali would witness less load shedding, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday said the newly-formed Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Ltd would generate around 2500 MW power to meet the present shortfall.
Dabhol is part of Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd.