Upgrading existing thermal power projects over the next five years could save India $3 billion

Andrew DeLeone, managing director of GE Power India, said new capacity additions in India's thermal power sector could be affected by struggling industries, but the opportunity to upgrade existing projects is great, which could save $3 billion on electricity bills and reduce emissions
.

Upgrading existing thermal power projects over the next five years could save India $3 billion

India's thermal power sector has been paralyzed due to a lack of PPAs, leaving projects in trouble, with many other power sectors operating below capacity, and some facing payment delays
.
Private sector companies face heavy debt, while the government has taken steps to restore the health of state-run power distribution companies, but industry insiders believe there will be no recovery
in the foreseeable future.

"Now the economics of new thermal power plants are very difficult
.
But it also gives us the opportunity to better operate our existing plants and make them more profitable
.
Investing in the efficiency and flexibility of power plants is a very good investment example
.
For the amount spent, it pays off in four years, and carbon emissions
can also be reduced.
DeLeone added
.

GE is currently executing a total of 12,000 megawatts of power projects in India, most of which are based on low-carbon technologies
.
The company sees new thermal power capacity in India at 6-8 GW per year, but sees a strong pipeline of plant upgrades given its interaction with private power companies
.

"We think India will see about 6-8 GW of new thermal capacity per year, but there are 70-80 GW of capacity that can be upgraded to improve efficiency and flexibility, which could happen
in the next five years.
" The upgrade could save India more than $3 billion in electricity bills while reducing carbon emissions
.
DeLeone pointed out
.

Indian companies such as L&T, JSW Energy, Bharat Forge, Thermax, BGR Energy have formed joint ventures with foreign partners and have pledged to invest heavily in the construction of thermoelectric boilers and turbine generator sets
.

The capacity utilization rate of the thermal power industry is 25-30%, as the number of new orders has been very low
in the past few years.
Despite the government's attempts to revive the state-run power distribution company and the main customers of the power plant through the Uday program, the distribution company is still reluctant to sign power purchase agreements
.

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