National Electricity Plan

Why in news?

• The National Electricity Plan (NEP) 2022-27 has been rolled out which marks a discernible reversal in the policy thrust from its last edition.

About National Electricity Plan:

• The Electricity Act 2003 stipulates that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shall prepare a National Electricity Plan in accordance with the National Electricity Policy and notify such plan once in 5 years.
• The first plan was notified in 2007

Key highlights of the latest plan:

• Coal Energy Thrust:
  • The fresh draft, in a tacit admission of the ground realities, cites the need for fresh coal-based capacity ranging from 17 GW to nearly 28 GW till 2031-32.
• Renewable energy thrust:
  • There is a projected battery storage requirement in 2031-32 of between 51 GW to 84 GW with a daily usage rate of 5 hours.
• Battery Energy Storage systems(BESS)
  • BESS especially based on Lithium-ion batteries are one of the storage options. The cost of the BESS is reducing in an unprecedented way making it one of the preferred options for deployment.
  • BESS has various advantages of balancing the grid against load fluctuations, intermittency in generation etc.
• Hybrid generation models
  • Blended with off-stream pumped storage projects, where every day, after the sun rises and solar output is more than the absorbing capacity of the grid, the rest of the solar generation can be diverted to water-based energy storage or pump storage plants (PSP). This will basically perform solar energy shifts and provide backup power.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements:

1. Electricity Act 2003 mandates that Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shall prepare a National Electricity Plan once in every five years

2.The latest National Electricity Plan of 2022-27 proposed to disallow any additional coal-based power plants in the country

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer