Demand surge: GUVNL floats bid to buy 1,000 MW power
DESPITE HAVING an installed power capacity of 28,642 MW (mega watt), the Gujarat government is looking to buy 1,000 MW of electricity to meet the state’s medium-term requirements, including an “unprecedented demand surge” from the industry in the state.
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL), an arm of the state government involved in the bulk sale and purchase of electricity, has floated the bid to purchase power for medium term, which is around 23 months: till July 2023. The last date for filing the bid is April 15, 2021.
According to state government officials and experts in the energy sector, Gujarat has 19,000 MW of conventional power and an additional 9,000 MW of renewable power. The power demand for the state is 18000-19000 MW and for GUVNL alone it is over 15000 MW. Torrent Power also supplies power to Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Surat cities.
“The 9,000 MW of renewable power and the 4,000 MW of gas-based power is uncertain and infirm due various factors including high gas prices. Due to this, there is a shortfall when the demand for power peaks up to 19,000 MW,” said Shahmeena Husain, managing director of GUVNL.
“Despite a host of issues that we face, we do not have any load-shedding. We have to supply power continuously and sometimes we have to buy power from the market,” she said.
