Buying power from Exchanges economically viable for Captive Plants

According to an article in Business Standard, captive power plants have resorted to buying power from power exchanges than generating by themselves. This behavioural change  of power procurement has been attributed to two main reasons :

1. Unavailability of domestic coal.

2. Low spot market prices discovered at exchanges owing to fall in demand.

Energy intensive industries – Cement, fertilizer etc. dependent on captive power production, have been using these low prices to their advantage.

The article has quoted a case of RSWM company of LNJ Bhilwara Group. The company generates power at an average cost of 4.2 Rs per unit (including coal cost and transmission losses). Due to present fall in spot market electricity prices, the company has been buying power at a cheaper rate of around Rs. 3 per unit. The company has also increased monthly power procurement from exchanges this fiscal.

As per IEX, the greater participation from captive consumers at exchanges has triggered higher volumes, greater competition and robust price discovery in short-term power market.