Reportedly, NTPC Limited has proposed to the power ministry to pool its “entire capacity” for the sale of power to discoms.
Presently, power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed with power distribution companies specify the particular plant from which power will be supplied to each distribution company. Some discoms have PPAs negotiated in commissioning phases, treating each phase as a distinct entity for tariff and scheduling purposes. As per NTPC, the current system limits operational flexibility and often disrupts electricity supply to discoms during station malfunctions and forced outages. The company has communicated to the government that discoms/states will get a steady supply of power even in the case of shutdown of units. Running power plants below the technical minimum during off-peak hours also poses challenges. Consequently, NTPC has requested a pooling of all stations.