(TOI)
Increased generation of solar electricity, seen as a cheaper alternative by consumers, has led to higher forced outages at thermal power plants, said director (operations) of state govt-owned Mahagenco Sanjay Marudkar.
A major jump in solar power during the daytime is taking a toll on the wear and tear of thermal plants’ boilers. He said as much as 6,000 MW solar power is pumped into the grid in the day time, forcing Mahagenco to balance the grid by reducing generation from thermal power plants. Such reductions and fluctuations leave stress on the boilers of the power plants. This results in heat excursions, causing snags like joint failures and boiler tube leaks. That is the reason the number of forced outages of power plants was more this year, he said.
Boilers are key equipment in a power plant, and as many as 40% of the boilers used in the state’s thermal power plants are at least 30 years old, said Marudkar. The old equipment has also led to an increase in the power generation cost, he said. And the increased stress has ultimately led to more power outages, he said.
Marudkar was speaking at a conference on the boiler industry — Boiler World Update (BWU) WeldConnect, organised in the city on Sunday.
Even the distribution companies maintain a strategy for consumers. When the thermal power generation has to be reduced, the plants making the costliest power cut the production first, followed by the cheapest in the end. This also takes a toll on the boilers, he said at the seminar. Often there is a less need for power, and some units of a power plant are shut due to snags. At such times, the state has to buy costly power from elsewhere, he said.
