Viability of power distribution in India - Challenges and Way Forward.

Autor: Das SD; Energy and Environment Program, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560012, India.; Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India., Srikanth R; Energy and Environment Program, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560012, India.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Energy policy [Energy Policy] 2020 Dec; Vol. 147, pp. 111882. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Oct 21.
DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111882
Abstrakt: Energy is a key component for economic growth as well as for human development. India is the third-ranking electricity generator in the world but ranks 106th in terms of per capita consumption. Specifically, the distribution of power is the most important link in the value chain of the power sector since it is the cash register for the entire sector. In India, electricity is a concurrent subject shared between the Central and State Governments. While the generation of power has been deregulated since 2003, the supply of power to the consumers is generally carried out by Government-owned power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs). In this paper, the authors analyze the financial distress of DISCOMs in India, and explain how the supply-demand mismatch due to over-ambitious demand projections, the fixed and energy charges of thermal power plants, and the excess procurement of "must-run" renewable sources together contribute to the high cost of power procurement that drives the financial stress faced by DISCOMs. The authors support their assertion with a study of nine DISCOMs supplying electricity to 155 million people in three States and propose policy recommendations for a turnaround of such DISCOMs which can be rolled out with suitable modifications across India.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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