LMA Convention Journal

Vol. 10, No. 1, 2014, 36-45

Powering UPs growth through Thermal Generation: A Strategic Roadmap

POWERING UPS GROWTH THROUGH THERMAL

GENERATION: A STRATEGIC ROADMAP
HIMADRI SINGHA1
ABSTRACT
With the country poised for a growth rate of 7%, power sector is required to grow at a rate
of 6-8%. Though our country has seen significant growth within the sector in last 5 years,
still actual power deficit in most parts of the country is at 5-8% and Uttar Pradesh is one of
the power starved states of India. With a very logical estimate, India needs to add an extra
500 GW capacity by 2032 to meet the world average per capita consumption of 2500 Kwh
(against existing 918 Kwh). This mammoth capacity addition can be achieved through a
greater emphasis towards sustainable thermal generation. Uttar Pradesh, being the largest
state with maximum potential and enriched with rivers and natural resources, shall play a
pivotal role in this development roadmap. Due to policy paralysis, fuel shortage and adverse
macro-economic scenario, UP has seen minimal growth in capacity addition and huge
supply-demand gap in the past decade. However, this gap can be bridged through rapid
capacity addition, implementing business friendly policies, adopting efficient clean coal
technology and enhancing the availability and performance of thermal power plants. The
paper analyses the historical trend, challenges and recommends possible transformations
to bring growth back in track.

1.

installed capacity of India was 243 GW and out of

which coal based was 145 GW.

Indian Power Scenario

India has seen tremendous growth in electricity

generation in the last decade, primarily contributed
through thermal power plants. Thermal power shares
59% of total installed capacity in India, whereas
contributes more than 7 5% of total electricity
generation. The demand of electricity is expected to
rise in coming years and coal will continue to be the
dominant source of energy. As on March 2014, total

Electricity availability India still falls far short of

the global benchma rks in 20 14, per-capita
consumption was 918 kWh, in contrast to the global
average of 2500 kWh. Still one third of total Indian
population do not have access to the electricity and
headline power deficit is at a range of 6-8%. However,
availability and access to the electricity is a crucial

The author presently works as a Market Strategist-Power Sector in Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd.
(TBWES), based out of Pune, India. He has also served NTPC Ltd., the largest power producer of India, as an Operation
Engineer. He holds total experience of 9 years.
He is a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in General Management from XLRI Jamshedpur and BE in Mechanical Engineering from
IIEST, Shibpur (erstwhile Bengal Engineering & Science University, Shibpur),West Bengal.
E-mail: himadrisingha@yahoo.co.in
ISSN 2319-3700
2014 Lucknow Management Association

36

Pankaj\F\Data\LMA Journal\Journal 2014 Paper by Himadari edited

Himadri Singha

element to the countrys growth story and it paves the

way for human capital development. India is
envisaging 8% growth rate in GDP within next 3-4
years and to achieve this growth rate, electricity sector
must grow at a rate of 7-8%. Based on this, Planning
Commission of India has estimated 500 GW of capacity
addition by 2032 and approximately 75% of this
addition is likely to be contributed by coal.

2.

This dismal performance of the state is evident

from its per capita consumption figure also. Per capita
power consumption of Uttar Pradesh is less than half
of the Indian average of 918 Kwh per annum.
From Exhibit-1, we could see that UP added only
700 MW in 6 years i.e. from 2005 to 2011, whereas the
country added more than 30,000 MW. At the same
time population of UP grew by 15% to 20 Crore, the
highest amongst the states.

Power Scenario in Uttar Pradesh

3.

Installed coal based capacity generation of

electricity in India has increased to 145,000 MW, as
on March 2014, from a mere 68,000 MWin March 2005,
marking a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
of 9%.

Energy Security and Economic Growth

Energy security plays a crucial role in enhancing

a countrys economic growth, in improving the quality
of life and in increasing opportu nities for
development. Ensuring supply of uninterrupted
supply of electricity to the mass is the key to the
inclusive growth for any country or any state of the
country. We can fairly assume that lack of energy

However, while India has grown at a rate of ~9%,

the highest populated state of India i.e. Uttar Pradesh
has grown at a rate of 5.52% only.

Source: CEA

Source: CEA
Exhibit-2

37

Powering UPs growth through Thermal Generation: A Strategic Roadmap

security has greatly contributed to the slow economic

development of the largest state of India. Uttar Pradesh
contributes only 8% of the countrys GDP, whereas
the potential is much more than exhibited. Power
sector is one of the core sectors and it facilitates
development across various sectors of the economy,
such as manufacturing, indu strial sector,
infrastructure, railways and agriculture. There is a
strong correlation between GDP growth and power
sector growth (correlation factor ~0.98). Historically,
India adds capacity through its flagship five year plan,
decided by Planning Commission of India. During
11thfive year plan (2007-12), India has added 54962
MW, with a share of 80% thermal generation. Target
of capacity addition for on-going 12th five year plan
(2012-17) is 88500 MW and without any confusion,
share of thermal generation is pegged at 80%.

4.

thermal plant is 65% against 15-20% of wind,

solar and hydro.
v)

vi) Cost of generation is the lowest in thermal power

plant. Cost of power from thermal plant is in range
of Rs.3-4/Kwh against Rs.6-8/Kwh from nonconventional sources.
vii) Capital investment per MW of installed thermal
ca pacity is also lower than t he capit al
requirement per MW of non-conventional plant.
Typical capital requirement for thermal power
plant is Rs. 5 Cr/MW against Rs. 6-8 Cr/MW for
non-conventional power plant.
However, while we cant ignore the concern of
climat e change, global warming and other
environmental issues, we may adopt efficient and clean
technologies like Super-critical (SC), Ultra Supercritical (USC) and Advanced Ultra Super-critical
(AUSC) technologies, Flue Gas Desulphurization and
Low Nox Burner technology. These technologies are
common and have demonstrated proven-ness in
developed countries like USA, Germany, France,
Japan, South Korea and China. India also has
commissioned plants with Super-critical technology,
albeit Ultra Super-critical and Advanced Ultra Supercritical technologies are still in nascent stage of
development.

Revitalizing Thermal Generation

In spite of the increasingly loud noise on global

wa rming, clima te change a nd susta inab le
environment, thermal power generation continues to
be the mainstay of power sector in the country. And,
this trend is likely to continue for quite sometimes,
until our country reduces substantially the demandsupply gap. Major drivers behind the increased
dependence and viability of conventional source of
power generations i.e. thermal (mainly coal) are:
i)

India is gifted with vast reserve of Coal. Total

geological coal reserve in India is ~290 Billion
Tons, out of which ~117 Billion Ton is proven.

ii)

Thermal power plants can be scaled up to 1000

MW capacity through a single unit. Normally,
nowadays preferred plant capacity varies from
2000 to 4000 MW. Therefore scalability and
resource required per MW is the most optimal for
thermal power plants.

Ease of grid connectivity

Plant Load Factor or (PLF) in relation to

thermal generating station or unit for agiven period
means the total sent out energy corresponding to
scheduled generationduring the period, expressed
as a percentage of sent out energy corresponding
toinstalled capacity in that period and shall be
computed in accordance with the followingformula:
PLF = Schedule Generation/Installed Capacity

iii) Thermal power generation is the most consistent

amongst all sources of power generation. Unlike
wind and solar, thermal power generation is not
affected by weather. With proper operation and
maintenance (O&M), thermal power plants can
deliver up to 90% availability.

Plant Availability Factor or (PAF) in relation

to a generating station for anyperiod means the
average of the daily declared capacities for all the
days duringthe period expressed as a percentage of
the installed capacity in MW.

iv) Plant Load Factor (PLF) is highest in thermal

power generation. All India average PLF of

(As defined by Central Electricity Regulatory

Commission )

PAF = Declared Capacity/Installed Capacity

38

Himadri Singha

5.

equipment, which, in turn, are result of inferior O&M

of thermal power plants as a whole. Lack of skilled
and trained O&M professionals have been a crucial
problem for Indian power producers.

Factors affecting Thermal Generation

Multiple factors have plagued the growth of

thermal power generation, due to which many power
projects in the country have either been scrapped or
stalled.

Reliance on obsolete technology:

India has adopted state-of-the-art, efficient supercritical technology only in 2010 (Adani Power
commissioned Indias first super-critical plant in
Gujarat in December 2010). Prior to that, majority of
Indian thermal units were at a range of 200-500 MW.
Technically and commercially, its proven that supercritical units are more efficient and economically viable
than sub-critical units. As on date, only 20% of Indian
operating thermal units consist of super-critical
technology, which is a major deterrent to efficient
thermal generation.

Fuel insecurity:
Power projects are capital intensive and long
gestation period projects, with a life cycle of more than
25 years. Most of the power plants sign long term
Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with distribution
utilities with pre-defined terms and conditions. So, an
assured long term fuel supply is of paramount
importance. But the performance of state owned Coal
India Ltd. has not been satisfactory over the years in
meeting the coal demand of power sector. Dismal
performance of Coal India coupled with recent
judgement of Supreme Court on cancellation of Coal
Blocks allocated to Govt/Pvt. companies have
increased the risk pertained to the fuel security and
eroded the confidence of developers.

Low quality consciousness:

In the past decade, the whole country has
procured major equipment like Boiler, Turbine and
Generator from Chinese manufacturers (OEM).
Eventually, the trade-off between price and quality has
taken a toll in the plant performance. Frequent failure,
long down-time and lack of after-sales service became
the major issues for the power producers. Detail study
by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on the plants
with Chinese equip ment has rev ealed that
performance is worst for those operating with Indian
Coal, whereas plants operating in imported coal are
satisfactory.

Delay in land acquisition and obtaining

clearances:
La nd a cquisition a nd obta ining mu ltip le
clearances are few key challenges hindering the
growth of power sector. Obtaining Environment
Clearance and Forest Clearance for both power plant
and coal block linked with the power plant (if
applicable) have remained very complex due to lack
of rationalization of norms and policies. Problem in
land acquisition mainly arises due to the nontransparent rehabilitation and compensation policies,
which couldnt bolster land owners confidence and
sometimes due to the non-cooperation from respective
State Government. In India, normally projects get
delayed by 1-3 years due to non-availability of
clearances and land acquisition issues.

6. Empowe ri ng Utt ar Pra de sh t hrough

Thermal Generation
In order to exploit most out of the thermal
generation, Uttar Pradesh has to go through multiple
reforms in terms of policy, technology adoption, ease
of doing business and skill development.
A strategic roadmap can be formulated by
analysing the current state, to-be future state, gaps and
finding out the initiative to be bridge the gaps.

Lack of Operation & Maintenance (O&M)

skillsets:
As on March 2014, Plant Load Factor (PLF) and
Plant Availability Factor (PAF) of Indian thermal
power plants were pegged at ~65% and ~82%. Lower
PLF and PAF are result of higher forced outage, partial
outage of plants and inefficient operation of plant

6.1 De-bottlenecking of stranded projects

In Uttar Pradesh only, ~6000 MW of projects
which are in advanced stage of planning are not taking
off due to non-availability of various clearances and
39

Powering UPs growth through Thermal Generation: A Strategic Roadmap

problems in land acquisition. Some of these projects

are:
Project

The State Government needs to work very closely

with the Centre in order to design a framework to
expedite the approval process of various projects. Also
the state owned generating company i.e. UPRVUNL
has ambitious growth plan in paper, which needs to
be implemented within a stipulated time frame.

Developer

Capacity (MW) Status

Delay in
Ghatampur
getting Env
Thermal
Neyveli Lignite
1980
Clearance
Power
Corp+UPRVUNL
and Fuel
Project
Linkage
Delay in
Harduaganj
getting Env
Thermal
UPRVUNL
660
Clearance
Power Plant
and Fuel
Extn
Linkage
Bilhaur
Delay in
Thermal
getting Env
NTPC
1320
Power Plant
Clearance
Land
Karchhana
Jaiprakash Power
1980
acquisition
TPP
problem

Project
Capacity (MW)
Obra Extension
1320
Jawaharpur Thermal
Power Plant
1320
Dopaha Power Project
1980
Panki Extension
660

Status
Conceptualised in 2008
Conceptualised in 2008
Conceptualised in 2009
Conceptualised in 2012

Source: Individual Research

Su bsta ntia l time has been lap sed in

imp lementat ion since the projects w ere
conceptualised, which had pushed back the state in

Source: Individual Research

40

Himadri Singha

terms of installed generation capacity. Now, its

important to revisit the causes of the delay and
formulate suitable time-bound action plan to fast-track
these projects.

plants. However, India is yet to make a breakthrough in USC technology.

6.

6.2 Technology is the key

Advanced Ultra Super-Critical (AUSC)

Technology

Historically, no economic development had taken

place without adopting the latest technological trend
and our country is no exception. Power sector has
witnessed dramatic changes in terms of technological
advancement and India has responded, albeit at a
slower pace, to the change successfully. Most of the
Indian old thermal power units were below 100 MW,
and then gradually has enhanced the new unitsto 200
MW and 500 MW. And now, the thrust of thermal
power development is on Super-critical (SC), Ultra
Super-critical (USC) and Advanced Ultra Super-critical
(AUSC) units so as to improve the plant efficiency and
reduce emission.
The generation efficiency of coal fired stations
depend on the steam parameters adopted- higher is
the steam temperature and pressure, higher the
efficiency. SC, USC and AUSC plants use elevated
steam temperature and pressure, and therefore, are
capable to offer very high efficiency.

Sub-Critical Technology
1.

It may take another 4-5 years tooperate a plant

with USC technology in India

Main Steam Pressure- 140 to 190 bar, Steam

temperature: 540 to 595 deg C

1.

Main Steam Pressure- 310bar and above, Main

Steam temperature: 650C and above

2.

Advanced Ultra Super-Critical (AUSC)

technology is under development. Research
work is in progress in USA, Europe, Japan,
China and India.

3.

Ma jor challeng e for AUSC technology

development comes in terms of very advanced
material development, continuous funding for
research work and skill development.

4.

Full Scale Demo Plant (FSDP), adopting AUSC

technology, is not likely to come before 2020.

5.

For 700 C and above mainly Nickel based

alloys are likely to be used (IN 704, Alloy 617
etc.).

6.

In India, NTPC, BHEL and IGCAR are already

working together t o develop AUSC
technology and material development with
steam parameter envisaged as 310 bar/710
C/720 C.

Super-Critical (SC) Technology

2.

Main Steam Pressure- 220 to 250 bar, Steam

temperature: 540 to 595 deg C

3.

India has already commissioned multiple SC

power plants viz. Mundra (Adani), Mundra
(Tata Power, Sipat (NTPC) etc.

A comparative study on change of relative plant

efficiency for different pressure and temperature is
indicated below:

Ultra Super-Critical (USC) Technology

4.

Main Steam Pressure- 260 to 300bar, Main

Steam temperature: 596 C to 630 C

5.

Most of the d evelop ed countries (USA,

Germany, Netherland, Italy, Japan, China,
South Korea etc.) have already adopted Ultra
Super-Critical technology are operating many

41

Powering UPs growth through Thermal Generation: A Strategic Roadmap

CO2 reduction by increasing efficiency (Indian Coal):

Source: NTPC Study, Individual Research

Due to shortage of domestic coal, many power

plants in India use imported coal from Indonesia,
South Africa and Australia. As a typical characteristic
of imported coal, it contains higher sulphur content.
While high sulphur coal is being used for combustion,
different forms of Sulphur Oxides (SOx) get emitted to
the atmosphere, which increases the possibility of Acid
rain. However, this can be avoided by using Flue Gas
De-Sulphurization (FGD) technique in the power
plant. Few plants in India operating in imported coal
have already installed FGD, or they have provision
for future installation. As a precautionary measure to
avoid any damage to the environment, FGD provision
should be mandatory for all future power plants.

towards exploiting the most latest technological

advancement taking place in the global arena.

Another pollutant gas that is generated during

combustion at elevated temperature is Nitrogen DiOxide (NOx). As we have been adopting SC, USC and
AUSC technologies w hich req uire very high
com bustion temp erature, probability of NOx
generation increases. To minimize the NOx generation
through complete and efficient combustion, most of
the technology provider have designed Low NOx
Burners.

6.3 Proj ect ex ecut ion and Operat ion &

Maintenance (O&M) skill development
Power industry is a technology and capital
intensive industry requiring large number of skilled
manpower, which includes competent engineers,
managers, technicians, construction experts and O&M
professionals. Especially, technical and managerial
competency is critical in ensuring timely execution of
project s and op timu m performance up on
commissioning.

With adoption of all of the above measures, very

high plant efficiency as well as a clean environment
can be ensured. As a recommendation, the State
Government of Uttar Pradesh should encourage
42

Himadri Singha

each and every critical equipment.

Project execution:
While large scale projects are being planned, the
lack of hig h qu alit y ma npow er for p roject
manag ement, sup ply chain management and
construction management become a key constraint for
the project developer. As of now, very few utilities only
have been successful in developing a world-class
execution team. However, it is important for the
Government, Regulators and the industry to invest in
attracting and training high quality resources for long
term sustainable growth of the sector.

2.

Adhere to the guidelines provided by the OEM.

3.

Minimize Start-Up and Shut-down period for the

plant. Minimize oil consumption during start-up
and shut-down.

4.

Do not bypass of any alarm or protection system

5.

Ensure preventive maintenance for all equipment.

Carry out Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF) and
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) analysis for all
critical equipment

Operation & Maintenance:

6.

Ensure generation as per the guidelines set forth

by Availability Based Tarff (ABT) norms, to
minimize the disparity between supply and
demand.

7.

Form a Task Force to monitor the performance

parameters i.e. efficiency, heat rate, auxiliary
power consumption etc.

8.

Simulator training for all operations professional

Once a power project is commissioned, safe and

efficient operation of the plant becomes the most
important and challenging task. An efficient O&M
ensures continuou s availability and full load
operation of a power plant. Availability and load
factor is directly proportional to the revenue earned
by the power utility- that means, any unplanned
outage is equivalent to the loss of cash for the utility.

6.4 Substitute old units with new efficient

plant

Strategies for developing human capital:

1.

Attract fresh talents from reputed Engineering

and Management institutes. Extra focus towards
specialized institutes like NPTI, NICMAR etc.

2.

Retain the existing manpower by offering them

compensation as per industry standard.

3.

Organisations like NTPC, Tata Power, Reliance

Power have already developed very high quality
manpower. People can be trained in their plants
with proper guidance from experienced people.

4.

At least 2 weeks of training for each employee in

specialized area e.g. Emergency operation,
Critical Chain Project Management, Strategic
sourcing etc.

5.

Tie-up with educational institute for imparting

knowledge to the people regularly

6.

Behavioural training for each employee to impart

a sense of belongingness and accountability.

7.

Monitor and reward the productivity of employee.

Normal life-cycle of a thermal power plant,

without renovation, is 25 years. With longer operating
time, performance and efficiency of plants start
declining. Therefore, the older units deliver lower
throughput and higher particulate and carbon di-oxide
emission. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, there are
multiple units which have crossed their stipulated life
and still continue to operate. Naturally, these units
deliver de-rated capacity than the actual capacity at
the time of installation. As our natural resources are
very much limited, we cant afford to have a suboptimal usage of resources i.e. coal, water etc.
UPRVUNL, the state generating company of UP, still
operates the below units which have crossed their
actual life-cycle.
Therefore, its advisable to de-commission these
units in phased manner without hampering much the
generation and set-up new efficient super-critical
plants using the existing land, fuel linkage and water
source. For example, the State can set up 1 no 660 MW
unit in place of 3x200 MW units, which shall increase
the efficiency by 4-5% and also shall entail lesser
amount of land requirement. Undoubtedly, this will

Best practices for Power Plant O&M:

1.

Document Standard Operating Process (SOP) for

43

Powering UPs growth through Thermal Generation: A Strategic Roadmap

Plant
Panki

Stage
II
1
2

OBRA

4
PARICHA
HARDUAGANJ

Unit No
3
4
1
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
1
2
5
7

MW
110
110
50 MW
100 MW
100 MW
100 MW
200 MW
200 MW
200 MW
200 MW
200 MW
110
110
60
110

Derated MW
105
105
50 MW
94 MW
94 MW
94 MW
200 MW
200 MW
200 MW
200 MW
200 MW
110
110
60
105

Commissioning Date
10.11.1976
24.03.1977
04.10.1973
14.12.1975
05.09.1975
26.10.1980
20.10.1979
31.12.1977
28.03.1981
21.07.1982
31.03.1984
25.02.1985
21.03.1977
31.03.1978

Source: UPRVUNL website and individual research

require enormous amount planning and coordination

from the Government but will bear the fruit in the
future.

6.5 Sel ecti on of qual it y

manufacturer and EPC player

indigenization of know-how of best global technology

providers.
These JVs/collaborations with world class
manufacturers will ensure development of domestic
capability. Its the responsibility of the State/Central
Government to set the qualification criteria in such
way (with help from CEA) so that inferior bidders can
be eliminated. And, the same type of criteria should be
applicable to select EPC player also. EPC player shall
be credible enough to execute big ticket project with
proven construction, project management and
financial capability.

equi pment

A power plant is likely to run for 25 years and

average capital cost for setting up a plant (excluding
land acquisition, water reservoir and ash dyke) is Rs.
5 Crore/MW. It means that if a developer wants to set
up a 1600 MW plant, capital requirement will be Rs.
8000 Crore. Involvement of such a huge cost and
highest level of credibility (plant to run for 25 years)
req uire met iculous selection of equ ipment
manufacturer and Engineering, Procurement &
Construction (EPC) player. In last few years, India has
seen, apart from state owned BHEL, major global Boiler
and Turbine-Generator manufacturers have set up
manufacturing plant in India, either through Joint
venture or subsidiary route. This has ensured
Boiler
Manufacturer
BHEL (Alstom technology)
L&T (India)-MHI(Japan) JV
Thermax (India)- Babcock & Wilcox (USA) JV
Alstom
Doosan (South Korea)
Turbine-Generator
Manufacturer
BHEL (Siemens technology)
L&T (India)-MHI(Japan) JV
Toshiba (japan)- JSW (India) JV
Alstom (France)- Bharat Forge (India) JV

6.6 Turnaround of non-performing plants

through leveraging experience
While adding new capacity remains the major
challenge for the State, its equally important to operate
installed plants at the highest capacity possible. Due
to lack of O&M expertise and inability of tying of fuel

Manufacturing plant location

Trichy, Shahabad
Hazira
Pune
Durgapur
Chennai

Source: Press release, Individual Research

Declared annual Mfg capacity (MW)
20000
4000
3000
1500
1200

Manufacturing plant location

Haridwar, Bhopal
Hazira
Chennai
Sanand, GJ

Declared Annual TG Mfg Capacity

20000
4000
3000
4000

44

Himadri Singha

Case Study: NTPCs acquisition of UPSEB Tanda

plant (440 MW)
Pre-acquisition PLF: 14.9%
Acquisition date: January 15, 2000
Post-acquisition PLF: 83% in 2012-13
What went right?
NTPC bettered PPA commitments, from the
viewpoint of capital requirements, turning around
such old units is a low cost, high and quick return
option. This unprecedented success helped the
concerned SEBs and the entire nation in terms of
economy and power availability

7.

State Governments initiatives to bridge the gaps

Investment
monitoring

promotion

and

Ease of doing business

Ambitious future planning by the

State Government
Scout for latest available technology

Skill Development

Encourage domestic manufacturers

Retire sick plants

Proactively contact, liaise and invite potential investors (domestic and global) to build thermal
power plant in Odisha.
Formation of a SPoC (Single Point of Contact) to handle queries of all investors.
Promotion of Brand Uttar Pradesh. Conduct road shows, trade shows to attract investors
Easy and quick land acquisition process, including rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R), for
new projects with proper coordination with central government.
Minimum delay for obtaining clearance from state pollution control board, environment and
forest clearance etc.
Infrastructure development in terms of providing good road and rail transport facilities, water
linkage etc.
Least political unrest
Set a target for year wise capacity addition
Form a State Monitoring Committee to monitor the progress
Trade-off between initial capital cost and future benefits in terms of better performance
throughout life cycle
Visit of officials to globally available plants to gain exposure
Select the most suitable technology and plant configuration
Engage with utility like NTPC, Tata Power to train power plant professionals.
Tie-up with institutes like IITs, NPTI, UPES for academic enhancement
Proper in-house training and expertise.
Procure equipment from OEMs having manufacturing facility in India
Identify non-performing old units
De-commission those and substitute with new efficient unit

linkage, many units run at a PLF lower than 50%. This

predicament can be resolved by engaging more
experienced utilities like NTPC through some kind of
strategic alliance or Joint Venture, to carry out
turnaround of the units.

8.

Still no other better alternative solution is available

given the fact that India is an emerging economy and
energy need has to be fulfilled quickly and at a large
scale. Being the highest populated state of India, Uttar
Pradesh exhibits enormous potential of thermal power
generation. If the State goes through transformation
in policies and technology adoption, it will be one of
the most promising States of the country. The State
Government needs to act responsibly by joining hands
with various Central nodal agencies and drive the
reform activities in a structured way.

Conclusion

Despite the noise being created by green activists,

climate change experts, thermal power generation will
continue to be the backbone of Indian Power Sector.
45