Power prices hit zero for first time on 1 May as demand dips but supply climbs
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s power prices on electricity exchange hit zero for the first time on Friday, 1 May, raising concerns for investors and developers as the country moves towards its target 500 giga watt (GW) non-fossil capacity by 2030.Data from the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) showed power prices were at zero in two blocks of 15 minutes each on Friday, as demand dipped due to easing temperatures and low industrial demand but power supply — especially solar power — climbed, bringing prices down.The dip in demand came from partly cloudy skies, light rains, and gusty winds in northern India and Delhi-NCR, and heavy rainfall in parts of eastern India. Similar weather was witnessed on Saturday, 2 May.To be sure, power prices on the real time market (RTM) platform of the IEX had dropped to near-zero twice earlier—on the afternoon of 5 April, and on 25 May last year, under similar circumstances.In a LinkedIn post on on Friday, IEX said: “Cooler weather, record solar generation (~57.5 GW), and inflexible thermal supply are leading to ample sell-side availability on the Exchange.
Today, up to 5:00 PM, the average price recorded stood at ₹1.22/kWh, with near-zero prices observed across multiple time blocks. This presents an excellent opportunity for distribution companies and open access consumers to optimize their power procurement costs.”The development assumes significance because power traded on India’s power exchanges accounts for about 13% of total supply, with the rest coming from long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) between power producers and distribution companies (discoms).Experts say battery storage and negative pricing are mechanisms to curb such instances.
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