Amidst the electricity crisis in Rajasthan, a ray of hope has emerged. This year, due to low rainfall and unexpected growth in electricity demand, the state government has decided to start electricity production from the closed Dholpur gas-based electricity units for the upcoming Rabi season. Energy Minister Bhawar Singh Bhatti announced, “The second unit of the project started electricity production on Thursday at 4:30 AM. When run at full capacity as required, it will provide the state with 2.64 million units of electricity daily.”
Minister Bhatti explained that the current electricity demand has increased by approximately 29%. Therefore, the state government has granted permission to operate the Dholpur electricity project with spot gas to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply. For the spot gas arrangement, Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam signed a Gas Sale Agreement (GSA) with GAIL on July 29, 2020, valid until January 1, 2026. This arrangement allowed Dholpur Power Station to operate temporarily in December 2020 during the crisis caused by disruptions in the transmission system in the Bharatpur region.
It’s worth mentioning that the Rajasthan State Electricity Generation Corporation’s gas-based electricity project in Dholpur district has a capacity of 330 megawatts. There are three units at this location, each with a capacity of 110 megawatts. The total electricity production capacity of all three units is 7.92 million units per day. These three units, built for Rs 1115 crores, have been supplying commercial electricity since March 1, 2008. Due to a lack of gas supply, these units had to be shut down in December 2019.
