Key Findings by 42nd standing committee on energy on stressed gas-based power plants:
- Out of India’s total installed capacity of about 345 GW of power, gas-based capacity is about 25 GW or 7.2%. However, its share in terms of generation is only 3.8% as 14,305 MW of gas-based capacity is stranded due to non-availability of domestic gas and unaffordability of imported gas.
- It has criticized the government for diverting coal cess to compensate States for revenue loss post-GST. The coal cess collected from 2010-11 to 2017-18 amounts to Rs. 86,440 crore, out of which only Rs. 29,645 crore has actually been transferred to the NCEF.
- It has recommended financial support to the stressed gas-based power projects in the country from National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF).
National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF):
- Background: The National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) is a fund created in 2010-11.
- Funding of NCEF: The Fund has been created out of cess on coal produced / imported under the “polluter pays” principle.
- Usage of Fund: For funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technologies of public sector or private sector entities, upto the extent of 40% of the total project cost.
- Features:
- Any project/scheme relating to Innovative methods to adopt to Clean Energy technology and Research & Development are eligible for funding under the NCEF.
- Assistance is available as a loan or as a viability gap funding, as deemed fit by the Inter-Ministerial group, which decides on the merits of such projects.
- Administration:
- The Fund is designed as a non-lapsable fund under Public Accounts and with its secretariat in Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
- An Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Finance Secretary in Ministry of Finance recommends projects eligible for funding under NCEF.
