NTPC spending $36.6 billion on power equipment

NTPC capacity expansion plan aims 75,000 MW by 2017, driven by investment, supercritical technology, coal supply, and competitive bidding, amid CAG-reported delays, procurement bottlenecks, Five-Year Plan targets, and private-sector participation.

NTPC Limited, India's state-controlled power generating entity, has announced plans to invest $36.6 billion in 2011-12 to purchase power equipment for its projects.

Confirming reports, Arup Roy Choudhry, the chairman and managing director of NTPC, said that the investment would be made during the next fiscal year for equipment deliveries in the next five years, implying massive equipment imports as needed. Choudhry has expressed confidence that domestic and international private-sector equipment suppliers will participate in the bidding process.

According to Novonil Guha, an analyst at Brics Securities, the proposed investment is in line with the company's power capacity addition target. Guha added that since NTPC has cash reserves of $6.68 billion, funding new projects would not be a problem. Presently, NTPC, which has an installed power generating capacity of 32,000 megawatts MW, operates 28 power plants in the country. The new power plant equipment will help the company increase its generating capacity to 75,000 MW by 2017.

However, concerns have been raised about the company's commitment to achieving these targets. There have been allegations of lack of proper planning and a non-adherence to construction schedules. According to a recently released report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India CAG, most of NTPC's projects under construction are likely to be delayed by 44 months. During the 11th Five-Year Plan 2007-12, as per the target set by the Planning Commission, NTPC agreed to add 22,430 MW to its generating capacity by commissioning 24 projects.

However, during the mid-term review, this target was scaled down to 17,760 MW and then further down to 9,220 MW. The revision was attributed to lack of progress on several projects.

The CAG report also raises concerns about the company's revenue generation and profitability, after it was revealed that $3.63 billion in potential revenues was lost due to the non-commissioning of power plants. There is evidence that the revenue losses could increase to a staggering $9 billion in the event of scheduled power plants not commencing operations by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan period. The report also urged NTPC to use Super Critical Power Plant SCPP technology at all its future power plants. Presently, only three proposed power projects will be built using this technology.

NTPC has refuted these allegations and said that by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, about 13,020 MW would be connected to the national grid of this, projects with a combined capacity of 5,290 MW have been completed, 2,160 MW are in various stages of development, and nearly 5,570 MW would be commissioned in 2011-12.

The company has indicated that the growing demand for power, bureaucratic hurdles, coal shortages, with dangerously low coal stocks reported at several plants, and delays in the delivery of equipment are major deterrents to the timely completion of projects. Countering criticism over improper selection of contractors, Choudhry said that NTPC has clearly indicated that companies bidding for power equipment contracts should have an established manufacturing base in India and should be able to deliver orders within 16 months of receiving the contract.

Earlier, the company decided to cancel civil works contracts for its 750-MW Bongaigaon and 520-MW Tapovan Vishnugad power projects in Assam and Uttarakhand, after the selected contractors did not begin projects on time. NTPC will issue fresh tenders for civil works contracts for these power plants, which have now been scheduled for commissioning in 2012.

In the background of equipment procurement and contract execution delays, the company has also been criticized for delaying the bulk order tendering of the Steam Turbine Generator STG and Steam Generator SG packages for power plants with a combined capacity of 11,660 MW. NTPC had indicated that it would begin the bidding process in July but the process is not expected to start before early 2011.

Adding to its woes, the Ministry of Coal has cited NTPC for not undertaking coal mining activities. Since 2004, the company has secured eight captive coal-mining licenses for mines with combined reserves of 5 billion tons. However, there has been little progress on these projects. The government had threatened to cancel mining permits for the Pakri-Barwadih coal block due to lack of development activities. Early this month, the company awarded the mine developer and operator contract to Thiess India, a subsidiary of Leighton Holdings Limited.

By 2011-12, NTPC is forecast to require 165 million tons of coal, of which about 15 million tons will be imported. By 2012, India's coal demand is expected to reach 850 million tons. In 2011-12, the country's coal imports are likely to increase to 60 million tons from 45 million tons, with plans to considerably increase coal imports over time. Nishit Jalan and Anirudh Gangadhar, analysts at Nomura Securities have observed that Coal India Limited CIL, which supplies 80 of India's coal, may not be able to keep pace with the growing demand.

India's power generation sector is struggling to keep pace with the increase in demand. According to power secretary P. Uma Shankar, under the ambitious "Power for All 2012" scheme, it has become imperative to bridge the demand-supply gap, including plans to double nuclear output to bolster supply, and provide electricity to citizens.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan 2012-17, the domestic power sector will require about $400 billion in investment. The role of private power developers such as Tata Power will become important, as this sector is likely to contribute about $200 billion in new projects.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan 2007-12, India is likely to miss its scaled-down target of 78,577 MW. The target has been revised to 62,374 MW, and the power ministry has indicated that in 2010-11, new power generating capacity of about 15,000 MW will be added. Despite the revision, India may fall short of its target by 3,000 to 4,000 MW, prompting a call for immediate action from sector observers.

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