In this exclusive article for AfternoonDC, Anil Sardana, Managing Director, Tata Power, takes us through the 100 years of Tata Power’s - which is part of the legacy of Jamshedji Tata - evolvement and the parallel growth of the power sector
India is the fifth largest producer of electricity in the world and power is among the core sectors of the country. During FY 2014-15, the total power generated in India was 1048.5 billion units. Out of this, thermal power plants constituted about 70% % of the installed capacity, hydroelectric about 16 % and rest was a combination of wind, small hydro, biomass, waste-to-electricity and nuclear. The power sector has seen rapid growth over the years and has facilitated development of other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, construction and services among others.
Tata Power, India’s largest integrated power company and one of the oldest players in the sector, recently celebrated its Centenary year. The Company together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities has an installed gross generation capacity of 9036 MW and a presence in all the segments of the power sector viz. Fuel Security and Logistics, Generation (thermal, hydro, solar and wind), Transmission, Distribution and Trading. The company which is part of the legacy of Jamshedji Tata is a pioneer in providing integrated power solutions and has many firsts to its credit. In 1965, Tata Power became the first company to install a 150 MW thermal unit in India. Tata Power was the first company in India to install Fly Ash Aggregate plant to convert waste product (fly ash) into a useful building material and in 2013 Tata Power became the first company to bring a 4000 MW Ultra Mega Power Project in India (at Mundra, Gujarat) based on super-critical technology.
Over the last 100 years, Tata Power has not only multiplied its generation capacity but it has also been the industry thought leader on community and sustainability initiatives. Through its unique initiative on energy and resource conservation - Tata Power Club Enerji, the company has restructured and strengthened its programme by committing towards nation building. The company also launched the ‘Act for Mahseer’ programme, a sustainable programme focused at conservation of the Mahseer, an endangered species of fish. ‘Act for Mahseer’ is a call to action public campaign aimed at spreading awareness about the mighty Mahseer to help preserve this valuable fish species at a national level. True to its Indian spirit, Tata Power inaugurated the Tata Power Skill Development Institute at the Tata Power Trombay Thermal Power Plant. The Trombay centre is aimed at benefitting over 600 power sector workers through various power-skills training programs and bridging the skills gap that exists across the value chain to help build a capable workforce. TPSDI will be targeting to skill 5,100 trainees in the next three years and 61,400 by 2022.
Electricity demand is likely to reach 155 GW by 2016-17 & 217 GW by 2021-22 whereas peak demand will likely reach 202 GW & 295 GW over the same period respectively. Diversifying India’s energy basket and increasing reliance on renewable sources of energy is therefore paramount. Leading the way in renewable energy generation and in view of its aim to achieve 20-25 per cent of energy from ‘clean power sources’, Tata Power renewed its focus on renewable energy capacity addition and restructured its renewable energy assets by consolidating under Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL).