The long-pending proposal to permanently shut the fuel-guzzling Rajghat Power House (RPH) and Badarpur Thermal Power Station (BTPS) has been shelved by the Delhi government for now.
The government has reasoned that the existing distribution network is not strong enough to take the extra load if the two plants are shut down.
“The Rajghat and Badarpur stations are old, but give around 720 MW in total, which cannot be compromised, especially in summers. So we have put the issue of shutting them down on hold for two years. We have to strengthen the distribution system within two years so that the extra load can be taken by the alternate lines,” said Power Minster Satyendra Jain.
Despite being one of the oldest serving plants in the Capital, the coal-based Rajghat plant is significant as power demand is on a steady rise over the past few years. It has an installed capacity of 135 MW, but generates around 100 MW. It supplies power to Old Delhi areas like Chandni Chowk and Ballimaran. More importantly, it supplies power to busy hospitals like Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) and G.B. Pant.
The BTPS, which is also a coal-based plant, has an installed capacity of 705 MW and currently produces around 620 MW on average. It supplies direct power to South Delhi areas like Okhla, Kalkaji and South Extension. This year, the peak power demand is expected to hit 6,300-6,400 MW in June.
“It is important to understand that any form of power generation within a State is always better than buying expensive power from central generation companies,” added Mr Jain.
The Power Minister had recently sought recommendations of the Delhi Transco Limited and five distribution organisations — BRPL, BYPL, TPDDL, NDMC and Delhi Cantonment — on how to optimise the existing State-owned power generation station in Delhi. The forum had suggested shutting down of the two plants, along with the gas-based plant owned by Tata Power Limited.
