20-05-2025
Raj's 3,200MW thermal power tender draws experts' criticism
Jaipur: Energy sector experts on Tuesday expressed serious concerns against the state power procurement agency,
Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Ltd
's (RUVITL) move to invite bids for securing 3,200 MW of thermal power for 25 years.
The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) heard the matter on Tuesday but postponed the final hearing to July, considering additional submissions made by stakeholders.
In December 2024, RUVITL issued a tender seeking a long-term supply of
coal-based power
. The move, which aims to meet the state's projected power deficit in FY 2031-32, drew sharp criticism from stakeholders, who said the proposal was economically unsound and technically unsubstantiated.
Anshuman Gothwal
of the Centre for Energy, Environment & People (CEEP) said that the state agency failed to explain why such a long-term coal tie-up was the most cost-effective solution. "RUVITL has not furnished any analysis to support the economic or technical prudence of choosing coal over cleaner and cheaper alternatives such as firm and dispatchable
renewable energy
(FDRE) sources like solar or wind combined with long-duration energy storage.
The omission raises serious questions about the rationale behind the tender," said Gothwal.
Experts argued that choosing coal in the face of cheaper and cleaner alternatives would burden both the state and its electricity consumers. In recent national-level bids by SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India), tariffs for solar coupled with energy storage (FDRE) hovered around Rs 3.52 a unit. They said adopting solar with storage could bring down the tariffs for consumers by nearly Rs 50 a unit, while coal-based power is expected to push the tariff up by more than Rs 1 a unit.
According to an analysis, adopting FDRE instead of coal could save the state nearly Rs 5,960 crore in just the first year of operation, with cumulative savings of over Rs 58,000 crore within a decade.
