No diesel generator set ban during grid failure

NOIDA/GURUGRAM: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued revised guidelines on DG sets on Tuesday, allowing their use at Stage 1 of GRAP implementation during emergencies like grid failure but going ahead with the previously-notified ban on their use as a substitute for grid power.

The move comes after several representations from industries and associations about the problems the CAQM directive to convert to PNG thrust upon them.
Currently, there are no restrictions on generator sets running on LPG, natural gas, biogas, propane and butane. But only a handful of industrial units have switched to PNG, citing high conversion charges, cost of gas and a lack of PNG network where they operate.
From Stage 2 to 4 of GRAP, DG sets will remain banned except for the exceptions the CAQM had allowed in its earlier order. The emergency services exempted from the ban include elevators in various installations, hospitals, railway services, metro rail corporation services, airports, inter-state bus terminals, etc.
In industrial areas with gas supply, DG sets converted to the dual fuel (70% gas, 30% diesel) mode and fitted with retrofit emission control device (RECD) can be run for a maximum of two hours a day to meet requirements arising due to power supply failure. In industrial areas without gas supply, DG sets fitted with RECD shall be permitted to run for an hour a day.
Sudhir Shrivastava, spokesperson Noida Entrepreneurship Association, said, “The industrial sectors face frequent power cuts without any advance notice. This direction is not sending a clear message. We may not know if the power cut is due to grid failure or some other glitches,” he said.
JN Mangla, Gurugram Industrial Association president, also said that the revised order would not provide much relief to industrial units. “It can only help us if the discom informs us immediately about any grid failures. We cannot take the risk of using DG sets on our own as we can not afford to pay penalties,” he said.
Pawan Yadav, president of the IMT Manesar industrial association, said this move would not benefit industrial units as grid failure does not occur very regularly. “The local outages create disturbances in our functioning,” he added.
Sanjeev Sharma, general secretary, Industrial Entrepreneurs Association, GB Nagar, said, “Power grid failure is a rare occurrence. That will force everyone to use diesel gensets, be it an industrial body or any residential society. This minor change does not mean anything to the industries.”
The CAQM issued directions to discoms on February 22 to ensure uninterrupted power supply to industries, especially during winter, to minimise the use of DG sets. A review had also been conducted on their preparedness.
A Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) official said, “We are providing power to industrial and residential areas continuously. There have not been any major failures in the past few days. We are also working towards improving the quality of supply.”
Noida has a demand of 750-800 MW power. J V Singh, chief zonal engineer, PVVNL, Noida, said there is no demand-supply gap. “We try to ensure uninterrupted power supply, including to industries. Sometimes, there is an outage due to technical glitches,” he said.
Only 700 of 10,000 units using diesel generators in Ghaziabad have switched to the cleaner PNG. In Gautam Budh Nagar, the number is lower, with only 100 of the 10,000 units having made the switch.
A CAQM spokesperson said, “On Wednesday, we issued directions for measures under GRAP stage I. We will discuss the matter further to see if there is an issue in getting information about grid failure versus technical glitch,” he said.
Noida/Gurgaon: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued revised guidelines on DG sets on Tuesday, allowing their use at Stage 1 of GRAP implementation during emergencies like grid failure but going ahead with the previously-notified ban on their use as a substitute for grid power. The move comes after several representations from industries and associations about the problems the CAQM directive to convert to PNG thrust upon them.
Currently, there are no restrictions on generator sets running on LPG, natural gas, biogas, propane and butane. But only a handful of industrial units have switched to PNG, citing high conversion charges, cost of gas and a lack of PNG network where they operate.
From Stage 2 to 4 of GRAP, DG sets will remain banned except for the exceptions the CAQM had allowed in its earlier order. The emergency services exempted from the ban include elevators in various installations, hospitals, railway services, metro rail corporation services, airports, inter-state bus terminals, etc.
In industrial areas with gas supply, DG sets converted to the dual fuel (70% gas, 30% diesel) mode and fitted with retrofit emission control device (RECD) can be run for a maximum of two hours a day to meet requirements arising due to power supply failure. In industrial areas without gas supply, DG sets fitted with RECD shall be permitted to run for an hour a day.
Sudhir Shrivastava, spokesperson Noida Entrepreneurship Association, said, “The industrial sectors face frequent power cuts without any advance notice. This direction is not sending a clear message. We may not know if the power cut is due to grid failure or some other glitches,” he said.
JN Mangla, Gurugram Industrial Association president, also said that the revised order would not provide much relief to industrial units. “It can only help us if the discom informs us immediately about any grid failures. We cannot take the risk of using DG sets on our own as we can not afford to pay penalties,” he said.
Pawan Yadav, president of the IMT Manesar industrial association, said this move would not benefit industrial units as grid failure does not occur very regularly. “The local outages create disturbances in our functioning,” he added.
Sanjeev Sharma, general secretary, Industrial Entrepreneurs Association, GB Nagar, said, “Power grid failure is a rare occurrence. That will force everyone to use diesel gensets, be it an industrial body or any residential society. This minor change does not mean anything to the industries.”
The CAQM issued directions to discoms on February 22 to ensure uninterrupted power supply to industries, especially during winter, to minimise the use of DG sets. A review had also been conducted on their preparedness.
A Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) official said, “We are providing power to industrial and residential areas continuously. There have not been any major failures in the past few days. We are also working towards improving the quality of supply.”
Noida has a demand of 750-800 MW power. J V Singh, chief zonal engineer, PVVNL, Noida, said there is no demand-supply gap. “We try to ensure uninterrupted power supply, including to industries. Sometimes, there is an outage due to technical glitches,” he said.
Only 700 of 10,000 units using diesel generators in Ghaziabad have switched to the cleaner PNG. In Gautam Budh Nagar, the number is lower, with only 100 of the 10,000 units having made the switch.
A CAQM spokesperson said, “On Wednesday, we issued directions for measures under GRAP stage I. We will discuss the matter further to see if there is an issue in getting information about grid failure versus technical glitch,” he said.