No gas for AP power plants

• Centre turns down plea for more liquefied natural gas supply
• Nine power plants sit idle because of shortage of LNG
• Reliance Industries remains adamant
• As much as 13 MMSCMD gas required for plants

Hyderabad: The Union government has turned down the Andhra Pradesh State government’s appeal for supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the gas-based power plants.

Nine gas-based power units with an installed capacity of 2,700 MW are sitting idle for last two years because non-availability of gas from the Krishna – Godavari basin. The managements of the projects have been demanding supply of gas under Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) entered into with State government. AP Genco officials told The Hans India that after the bifurcation of State, on the request of the managements of the gas-based units, State government had brought to the notice of Union Ministry of Power regarding the stoppage of gas from KG D-6 fields owned by Reliance Industries.

The government told the Union Ministry that the gas-based units were being given only 3 MMSCMD (Million Metric Standard Cubic Meter Per Day) gas from ONGC fields in KG basin. “This small gas supply helps to generate only 500 MW power of the total installed capacity,” the State government said in its communication to the Centre. The KG D-6 fields owned by Reliance stopped gas supply and it forced the power plants to shut down power generation. Total requirement of gas was 13 MMSCMD to run all the units, the government sources said. Genco Managing Director K Vijayanand said, “We did our best to persuade the Centre to supply gas, but in vain.The future of the projects depends on the Reliance Company.” The plants badly affected due to shortage of gas were – GMR’s Vemagiri (370 MW) and barge-mounted (237 MW), GVK’s Jegurupadu Extension (220 MW), Gauthami (464 MW), Konaseema Gas Power (445 MW) and Lanco’s Kondapalli Stage-II (366 MW). Vijjeswaram gas, Lanco Kondapalli stage-I.