Coal-fired plants’ inflexibility jeopardises India’s clean energy push: Can an incentive scheme work?

Key Highlights

• Addressing the issue, Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), said an incentive scheme is now being proposed to encourage thermal power plants to adopt greater operational flexibility.
• However, industry insiders remain unconvinced.
• They say running plants at lower loads can cause damage to boilers and turbines, increase wear and tear, and shorten the life of the units — risks that, in their view, financial incentives alone cannot fully address.
• This is true especially for the older thermal power plants in the country.
• Coal inflexibility leads RE curtailment Coal plants are expected to reduce output during peak solar hours — when generation from solar projects surges — and ramp up quickly after sunset when renewable supply dips.