Gas prices have fallen to $10 per million British thermal unit. But the fate of the power project, run by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, will hang in balance till the committee takes a decision on gas pooling, reduction in certain taxes and providing per unit subsidy.
The government's move is crucial as the state distribution utility MahaVitaran was purchasing about 95 per cent of power since the Dabhol project began generation in April 2006
The plant has been shut since 2013 for want of domestic gas supplies.
The project is currently generating 240 MW against its total capacity of 1,967 MW.
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
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 company is pursuing the early scheduling of gas with the Centre to restart generation.
The 1,967 MW plant has not been operating since August because of stoppage of natural gas supplies from domestic fields.
GAIL (India) Ltd has agreed to infuse an additional Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) into Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd to enable the owner of the beleaguered Dabhol plant to clear pending dues of contractors.
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.
The project, with total generation capacity of 1,967 Mw, has been shut since Thursday, owing to shortage of gas.
The Dabhol power plant has seen power generation plunge in recent days on account of dwindling gas supplies.
ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, SBI and Canara Bank collectively hold 18.12 per cent equity in RGPPL, which operates the plant.
Ratnagiri Gas & Power Pvt Ltd, in charge of Dabhol assets since 2005, has admitted it is passing through a difficult phase in the absence of gas allocation and low recovery of dues from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company.
Goyal's statement comes in the wake of RGPPL board giving its approval last month for the conversion of debt into equity equivalent to interest dues of Rs 405 crore (Rs 4.05 billion).
The turnaround has been possible due to availability of domestic gas on priority.
RGPPL has signed a power purchase agreement with the government of Daman and Diu for selling about 98 Mw of power from July.
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.
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.
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.
Ratnagiri Gas & Power's Dabhol plant will start generating power at full steam and Maharashtra will start getting around 2100MW power by November, Chandan Roy, chairman and managing director, RGPPL, said.
Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, the joint venture of state-run GAIL India and NTPC Ltd which owns the 2,150-MW power plant and the adjoining LNG import terminal, plans an IPO to raise Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion), company Chairman R K Goel told reporters in New Delhi. The Dabhol plant will be fully operational by next month when the third generating unit is commissioned, he said adding that currently, two units were generating about 1,100 MW electricity.
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 beleaguered Dabhol power project has hit a fresh roadblock with Punj Lloyd and its British partner Whessoe, the contractors for completing the LNG terminal, threatening legal action against Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd for default on payments.
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.
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.
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.
Other members include former Central Bank of India chairman and managing director Homai A Daruwala, former bureaucrat of the Madhya Pradesh cadre Prashant Mehta and RGPPL's managing director R K Srivastav.
Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, the NTPC-GAIL joint venture that runs the Dabhol power plant, may have to shut down the project by end of this month due to fuel scarcity.
The Bombay high court has given its go ahead for transfer of assets of the 2,184 MW Dabhol power plant to Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, paving the way for restarting the plant before the end of 2006.
The trouble is largest FDI projects in India have had a tragic history.
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