(ET)
The government is working on a scheme to salvage 24,000 MW of stressed gas-based power plants, built at an investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore, by importing natural gas and bundling the output with cheaper solar energy. The power and petroleum ministries are working on the new proposal. The earlier scheme entailing subsidy has been shelved. The proposed new scheme will offer no subsidy and hopes to help operate the power stations at 90% capacity by selling the bundled power.
A senior government official said the earlier proposed e-regasified liquid natural gas scheme (e-RLNG), which involved an e-auction, was successful when there was electricity shortage in the country. He also said that in the later tranches, the scheme did not garner much interest from the developers.
