At around 3 pm on Wednesday, India's daily peak power demand touched 220 gigawatts (Gw)-the highest daily peak ever in the history of the country. The ministry of power in its estimates had projected country's power demand to cross touch 220 Gw during the months of April-June. With a cooler April due to unseasonal rains, the peak shifted to May.
The power sector is always strongly correlated to economic activity and is receiving its share of investor attention as India's post-Covid-19 recovery continues. India's leading integrated power producer, the public sector undertaking (PSU) NTPC controls around 25 per cent of India's power capacity. It continues to increase installed capacity, in thermal as well as renewables (solar, wind, green hydrogen) and hydropower and pumped hydro, and also has backward integration into coal mining, and explored nuclear.
The government's decision to divest its stake in power PSU NTPC would be delayed as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs could not meet on Thursday due to pre-occupation of key ministers.
In a letter to the state principal secretary (energy and petrochemicals) S Jagdeesan on September 4, RIL executive director PMS Prasad said NTPC is currently buying natural gas on spot basis, which could potentially increase the cost of power by about Rs 1,500 crore.
The group of four ministers or G-4, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, had its final meeting on Tuesday and decided to either withdraw and amend the Special Leave Petition or file separate affidavit or an interlocutory application this week, a top source said.In its present form, the government is seeking annulment of the part of the Ambani family MoU that provides for dividing gas from RIL's KG-D6 fields between companies run by brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani.
The government on Friday said it is expecting to raise about Rs 8,100 crore (Rs 81 billion) from the five per cent stake sale in power PSU NTPC through a Follow-on Public Offer (FPO).
RIL is relying upon the pleadings in RIL Vs RNRL case to support its defence against NTPC.
In a development that could deliver a setback to Reliance Industries, the Bombay high court on Monday allowed power PSU NTPC to amend its petition, seeking implementation of a gas supply agreement.
Irked by the response of Reliance Industries on resolving an issue coming in the way of the gas contract, power PSU NTPC on Friday said it is talking to Mukesh Ambani led company to lift fuel alloted by the government.