Indian power utilities’ Apr 2016-Feb 2017 thermal coal imports fall 20% on year

Indian power utilities imported 60.38 million mt of thermal coal over April 2016-February 2017, down almost 20% year on year, according to data released by the Central Electricity Authority, seen by S&P Global Platts Tuesday.

The April-February imports registered a growth of 10.8% month on month.

Of the total quantity, 18.50 million mt was imported by 29 utilities for blending with domestic coal, while 41.88 million mt was imported by 11 utilities for power plants that use only imported coal.

Fifteen utilities did not import any coal during the 11 months of the ongoing Indian fiscal year, while no data was available for one utility.

Private sector power company Adani Power imported the largest volume of thermal coal during the 11-month period at around 14.5 million mt. Tata’s Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project followed with around 9.9 million mt.

On a monthly basis, February imports stood at 5.63 million mt, falling by around 16% year on year.

The government plans to reduce the country’s dependency on imported coal, to facilitate the consumption of the surplus fossil fuel produced by state-run miner Coal India Limited.

CEA has not assigned any targets for power utilities for the current fiscal year. However, they can procure imported coal if they find it to be more economical than using domestic coal, especially for coastal power plants.

Power utilities had imported around 80.47 million mt of thermal coal in fiscal 2015-2016 (April-March), down 11.8% year on year, and below the target of 84 million mt.

Source: www.platts.com

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Wind edges coal in Oklahoma for generation in 2016, EIA data says

Wind generation edged coal in Oklahoma for the first time in 2016 as natural gas remained the dominant fuel source for electricity, according to preliminary data from the federal Energy Information Administration.

Natural gas accounted for 46.8 percent of the state’s electricity, with wind at 25.12 percent. Coal generation was 24.65 percent, while other sources made up the rest.

Continued low natural gas prices and new wind generation connecting to the grid helped push coal into third place in Oklahoma last year. Coal generation was at almost 33 percent in 2015 and 43 percent in 2014. Natural gas and coal traded positions as the dominant generation fuel in Oklahoma since 2010, with natural gas taking the top spot four times and coal three times.

“Oklahoma is blessed with an infinite supply of wind energy and a nearly infinite supply of natural gas,” Jeff Clark, executive director of The Wind Coalition, said in an email. “They complement each other well for electric generation, with each bringing unique benefits.”

The coal used for electricity generation in Oklahoma comes from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, one of the nation’s largest supplies of coal. Clark said using Oklahoma wind and natural gas benefits the state more.

“With these blessings, Oklahoma can power Oklahoma and doesn’t need to go to Wyoming, hat in hand, asking to buy some energy,” Clark said. “We’re pleased to see these in-state resources growing to affordably and cleanly serve the power needs of this state.”

Oklahoma joined four other states — Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and North Dakota — with wind providing more than 20 percent of electricity generation last year, the American Wind Energy Association said Monday. Nationally, wind accounted for 5.5 percent of electricity generation, up from 4.7 percent.

On a practical basis, state borders mean little for electricity generation, at least in the central portion of the country. Oklahoma is part of a wholesale electricity market run by the Southwest Power Pool, which includes all or part of 14 states. That means all the electricity providers in the region bid into a market. The lowest-cost generation is run first, followed by other generators based on cost until demand is met.

 

Source: Newsok.com

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