1. WHAT IS HPO?

As per the government order dated 8th March 2019, Large hydro power projects having
capacity of more than 25 MW (LHPs) which come into operation after 08.03.2019 will be
considered for Hydro Power Purchase Obligation (HPO) within Non-Solar
Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).

In compliance to above decision and with the objective to add 30000MW of Hydropower
capacity by the year 2029-30, Ministry of Power has prepared a revised trajectory of RPO
including long term trajectory for HPO considering the LHPs commissioned after march, 2019.

The MOP specified following HPO Trajectory:

Year 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30

HPO 0.18% 0.35% 0.66% 1.08% 1.48% 1.80% 2.15% 2.51% 2.82%

RPO shall be calculated in energy terms as a percentage of total consumption of electricity

excluding consumption met from hydro sources.

HPO benefits may be met from the power procured from eligible LHPs commissioned on and
after 08.03.2019 and upto 31.03.2030 in respect of 70% of the total generated capacity for a
period of 12 years from the date of commissioning.

The Hydro Energy Certificate mechanism under Regulation to be developed by CERC to

facilitate compliance of HPO obligation, would have a capping price of Rs. 5.50/Unit of
electrical energy w.e.f. 8th March 2019 to 31st march, 2021 and with Annual escalation @5%
thereafter for purposes of ensuring HPO compliance.

2. WHAT IS REC?

A Renewable Energy Certificate, or REC (pronounced: rěk), is a market-based instrument that

represents the property rights to the environmental, social and other non-power attributes of
renewable electricity generation. RECs are issued when one megawatt-hour (MWh) of
electricity is generated and delivered to the electricity grid from a renewable energy resource.

Objective of REC:

Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism is a market-based instrument to promote

renewable energy and facilitate compliance of renewable purchase obligations (RPO). It is
aimed at addressing the mismatch between availability of RE resources in state and the
requirement of the obligated entities to meet the renewable purchase obligation (RPO).

The REC once issued shall remain valid for One thousand and ninety-five days from the date
of issuance of such Certificate.
3. WHAT IS MARKET BASED ECONOMIC DISPATCH (MBED)?

The Indian electricity market is gearing up to take its next big step. This will
be brought about by the implementation of the market based economic
despatch (MBED) model, proposed by the Ministry of Power (MoP) in a
discussion paper released in June 2021.

MoP paper on MBED seeks to route all power procurement through the
exchanges.

The proposed MBED mechanism would be a key step in enabling uniform clearing prices for
electricity procurement and transitioning towards a “One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency
One Price” ecosystem.

Key Objective of MBED:

 Meeting the system load with the least-cost and efficient generation plants.
 Uniform pricing framework to encourage efficient generation capacity addition in the
future.
 Facilitate increased variable renewable energy integration through larger balancing area
and reserve sharing.

The first phase involves only the thermal fleet of the country’s largest public sector company,
NTPC Limited from April 1, 2022

Benefits of the MBED mechanism

The data modelling carried out by the CERC in the past (as part of the MBED discussion
paper) and the data simulation run in the DAM and RTM for five days spread across 2020
indicate that MBED yields 4 per cent of benefits in power procurement costs.

The proposed MBED pilot with all ISGS stations is expected to yield benefits of more than
Rs 50 million per day for entitled sales, which translates into a Rs 18.25 billion reduction in
power procurement costs annually.

Once the country’s entire generation is mandated to participate, the total estimated savings
could be to the extent of about Rs 123 billion or 3.74 per cent.

4. WHAT IS RE TARGET OF GOVT.? DOES IT HAVE ANY IMPACT ON NHPC/HYDRO IN LONG

TERM?

The Government of India has set a target of installing of installing 175 GW of

renewable energy capacity by the year 2022, which includes 100 GW from
solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-
power.

The details of 175GW Renewable Energy is as under:

Solar Wind Bio-Power Small Hydro Total

100 GW 60GW 10 GW 5 GW 175GW
 The renewable energy target to 500 GW by 2030.

As on date the total 87 GW Renewable Energy has been commissioned, further

30GW is under implementation and 58GW shall be balance RE to be
commissioned upto 2022.

5. IMPACT OF RE ON HYDRO:

In the changing scenario of large-scale Renewable Energy integration leading to increased

focus on grid stability and operational aspects the requirement of Hydro is become a
necessity as a support services in form of SRAS (Secondary Response Ancillary Services)
and Fast Response Ancillary Services (FRAS) & Frequency Response Characteristics (FRC)
etc.
Indian Power Grid is one of the largest synchronous grids in the world. With the ambitious
target of the Govt. of India (GoI) for achieving 175 GW Renewable Energy (RE) integration in
the country by 2022, the need for reliable and flexible generation resources shall be required
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is in the process of revising the grid connectivity standards
for facilitating RE integration.
Necessity for hydro capacity addition so as to improve the reserves margin in the Indian
power system has been highlighted in the draft National Electricity Plan (NEP) issued by the
CEA in December 2016.
The technical committee of Ministry of Power, GoI on Large Scale Integration of Renewables
in its report has emphasized on the introduction of Flexible Generation Planning and Flexible
Generation Obligation and need for Regulatory intervention to incentivize flexibility.
Further the NITI Aayog, GoI in its “Report on India’s RE Roadmap 2030” has highlighted the
need for flexible generation resources in the form of conventional & pumped storage hydro
generating units, gas turbine generators etc. to ensure continued stability of the grid in an
envisaged RE-rich power system
The FOLD working group carried out a survey of the existing hydro generation capability in
the country. 149 hydro power stations (~ 35 GW) responded to the survey which is
approximately 80% of the net installed capacity as on date. The survey results revealed
several aspects of hydro power stations with respect to types of project, station, turbine,
flexibility aspects such as peaking and ramping capabilities, synchronous condenser & black
start capabilities, design parameters of the reservoirs, tariff structure, hydrological &
environmental constraints and more.
In view of above it can be said that with the integration of large RE, the requirement of Hydro
will certainly be increased and accordingly the hydro power projects will boost.

6. WHAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED OPTIMAL ENERGY MIX SUGGESTED BY CEA IN 2029-
30 SCENARIO?

The capacity mix honours all the technical constraints associated with various
technologies. Grid scale Battery energy storage systems (BESS) along with
Pumped Storage systems has been considered for estimating the optimal
results keeping in view the challenge of RE integration due to its inherent
 nature of being variable and intermittent and to fulfil the demand at every
instance of time.

The installed capacity by the end of 2029-30 projected is 8,17,254 MW

comprising of Hydro 60,977 MW (including Hydro Imports 5,856 MW), PSP
10,151 MW, , Small Hydro 5,000 MW, Coal 2,66,911 MW, Gas 25,080 MW,
Nuclear 18,980 MW, Solar 280,155 MW, Wind 140,000 MW and Biomass 10,000
MW along with a Battery Energy Storage capacity of 27,000 MW/108,000 MWh.
With this installed capacity, the INDC target set for India i.e. the percentage of
non- fossil fuel capacity in the total installed capacity is to be 40% by 2030 is
likely to be met.

The projected gross electricity generation (BU) during the year 2029-30 is likely
to be 2,518 BU comprising of 1,393 BU from Thermal (Coal, Gas and Lignite),
801 BU from RE Sources, 207 BU from Hydro, 4.4 BU from PSS and 113 BU from
Nuclear

The average PLF of the total Installed coal capacity of 267 GW is projected to
be about 58% in 2029-30.

The average CO2 emission rate is likely decrease from 0.726 kg/kWh in 2014-15
to 0.511 kg/kWh in the year 2029- 30.

7. WHAT IS NEW GRID/STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS? AGC & FRT

New Grid Requirements are as under:

 Smart Grid facilitates efficient and reliable end-to-end intelligent two-way

delivery system from source to sink through integration of renewable
energy sources, smart transmission and distribution.
 Smart Grid also enables real time monitoring and control of power system
as well as helps in reduction of AT&C losses, demand response and
demand side management, power quality management, outage
management, smart home energy system etc.
 Smart Grid will act as a backbone infrastructure to enable new business
models like smart city, electric vehicles, smart communities apart from
more resilient and efficient energy system and tariff structures.

AGC

In an electric power system, automatic generation control (AGC) is a system

for adjusting the power output of multiple generators at different power plants,
in response to changes in the load. Since a power grid requires that generation
and load closely balance moment by moment, frequent adjustments to the
output of generators are necessary. The balance can be judged by measuring the system
frequency; if it is increasing, more power is being generated than used, which causes all the
machines in the system to accelerate. If the system frequency is decreasing, more load is on the
system than the instantaneous generation can provide, which causes all generators to slow down.

The AGC is mandatory to all Power Station s having installed capacity of more
than 25MW & Storage type in case of Hydro.
The AGC has to be implemented at 11 Power Stations in NHPC. The AGC has
already been implemented at Chamera-1, Chamera-2, Chamera-3, Loktak,
Teesta-V, Dhauliganga, Dulhasti, Rangit & Parbati-3. However, the same is to
be implemented at Sewa-2 and Bairasiul Power Station.

The AGC operation has already been started w.e.f. 14th June 2021.

The mark-up charges for total up & Down to paid @ 50 paise/KWH to the
generators. However, a draft regulation on Ancillary Services has been issued
by CERC, wherein detailed regulation for SRAS operation has been dealt.

FRT

FRT (Fault Ride-Through (FRT) is Special Technical Requirements for of Wind Generators
connected to the grid.
The Wind generating machines shall have the operating region as shown in Figure given
below during system faults. Wind farms can be disconnected if the operating point falls below
the line in the Figure .

Figure: Fault ride through characteristics Where,

Vf = 15% of Nominal System voltage
Vpf = Minimum voltages ( 80% of Nominal System Voltage)
During fault ride-through, the Wind turbine generators (WTGs) in the wind farm shall have the
capability to meet the following requirements:
a) Shall minimize the reactive power drawl from the grid.
b) The wind turbine generators shall provide active power in proportion to retained grid
voltage as soon as the fault is cleared.

Wind farms connected to high voltage transmission system must stay connected when a
voltage dip occurs in the grid, otherwise, the sudden disconnection of a large amount of wind
power may contribute to the voltage dip, with adverse consequences. Wind farms must
remain connected when the voltage dip profile is above the line shown in the figure. The per
unit voltage at the point of connection to the grid is shown in the vertical axis and the duration
(seconds) of the fault in the horizontal axis. This code requires Fault Ride-Through (FRT)
capability during voltage drops in Transmission System to 15% of nominal voltage during 300
ms with recovery up to 80% of nominal voltage after 3 sec, with the slope shown in figure
given above During fault ride-through, the Wind turbine generators (WTGs) in the wind farm
 shall have the capability to meet the following requirements: a) Shall minimize the reactive
power drawl from the grid. b) The wind turbine generators shall provide active power in
proportion to retained grid voltage as soon as the fault is cleared.

8. WHAT STEPS THE GOVT TOOK IN ORDER TO BOOST HYDRO INVESTMENT? WHAT IN
YOUR OPINION HAS REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS.

Govt. of India issues an order on 08/03/2019 to promote Hydro sectors, wherein following are
incorporated:

 Declaring Large Hydro Projects (>25MW Project) as Renewable Energy Source.

 Tariff Rationalization measures for bringing down hydro power tariff.
Being project life of 40 Years, Increase debt repayment period to 18 years and
introducing escalating Tariff of 2%.
 Budgetary support for flood moderation/Storage Hydroelectric Projects.

a) Rs. 1.5 crore per MW for projects upto 200MW

b) Rs. 1.0 crore per MW projects above 200MW

 Budgetary support to cost of enabling infrastructure i.e Road & Bridges.

9. What is objectives of Tariff Policy 2016:
The objectives of this tariff policy are to:

1. Ensure availability of electricity to consumers at reasonable and competitive rates;

2. Ensure financial viability of the sector and attract investments;
3. Promote transparency, consistency and predictability in regulatory approaches
4. across jurisdictions and minimize perceptions of regulatory risks;
5. Promote competition, efficiency in operations and improvement in quality of supply;
6. Promote generation of electricity from Renewable sources;
7. Promote Hydroelectric Power generation including Pumped Storage Projects (PSP)
8. to provide adequate peaking reserves, reliable grid operation and integration of
9. variable renewable energy sources;
10. Evolve a dynamic and robust electricity infrastructure for better consumer services;
11. Facilitate supply of adequate and uninterrupted power to all categories of consumers;
12. Ensure creation of adequate capacity including reserves in generation, transmission
13. and distribution in advance, for reliability of supply of electricity to consumers.

10. Installed Capacity (Country)

Sl. No. Type of Fuel Installed Capacity NHPC Installed

(MW) Capacity (MW)
1 Thermal
Coal 210699.5
Gas 24899.51
Diesel 509.71
Total Thermal 236108.72
2 Hydro 46722.52 6971 (JV: 1520)
3 Renewable Energy
Solar 53996.54 50
Small Hydro Power 4848.90
Wind Power 40357.58 50
Bio-Power 10682.36
Total Renewable Energy 109885.4
 4 Nuclear 6780.00
Grand Total (IC) 399496.6 7071

11. PERCENTAGE OF HYDRO IN TOTAL INSTALLED CAPACITY: 11.69%

12. Indian Power Grid is one of the largest synchronous grids in the world. With the ambitious
target of the Govt. of India (GoI) for achieving 175 GW Renewable Energy (RE) integration
in the country by 2022:
The break up of 175 GW is as under:

Sl. No. Type of RE Target (GW) Actual (GW)

1 Solar Power 100 54
2 Wind Power 60 40
3 Bio-Power 10 11
4 Small Hydro Power 5 4.8
5. Large Hydro 46.72
Total 175 156.52

13. Challenges in Hydro Power Development

 Hydro Power Projects are Site specific.
 Location disadvantage
 Lengthy process of preparation of DPR and clearances having uncertainty of time line and
shortage of people with clearing agencies. e.g.
Land Acquisition, Environment, Forest &Wildlife clearances& Forest Rights Settlement Project
features, layout plan, land requirement and certain environment management plans are
required for forest clearance.
 Scarcity of Result Oriented Reputed Contractors / Skilled technicians/ workers.
 Non-Availability of Grid Power during Construction phase of Project.
 Security concerns.
 Inadequate infrastructure / Lack of Communication system
 Evacuation of power from remote generation sites.
 Public awareness- There is inadequate public involvement during the project planning stage
conducted by the Government Agencies and limited or no effort is taken to gain public
acceptance through public involvement and transparency.
 Intermittent stoppage of projects due to local agitations & frequent bandhs in entire North-
Eastern states resulting in time and cost overrun.

 Geological surprises
Requirement of Flexible resources for grid stability (NEP):

14. Definition of Flexibility:

According to the International Energy Agency, the flexibility of a power system refers to "the extent
to which a power system can modify electricity production or consumption in response to variability,
expected or otherwise". Another source described it as "the modification of generation injection
and/or consumption patterns in reaction to an external signal (price signal or activation) in order to
provide a service within the energy system".
Flexibility can therefore refer to the capability to change power supply/demand of the system as a
whole or a particular unit (eg. a power plant or a factory).

Why Flexibility:

The three main services for the stability of a power system are:
 Load balancing
 Frequency response and
 Voltage response

Types of Flexible Resources

 Hydro Power (Pondage/Storage)

 Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plants
 combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)
 Battery Storage System

15. Flexibility Metrics for Hydro Power Resources

• Peaking Capability: Hydro generating units, especially at the ROR with pondage , storage
type and pumped storage type stations, are capable of providing this peaking service.
• Ramping Capability: Hydro generators are conventionally known for providing fast ramping
support to match the abrupt rise or fall of power system demand during the transition periods
like onset of day / evening peak, fast reduction of solar generation at dawn, sudden loss of
wind generation etc. Ramping rate is approximately 100MW / min / Machine .
• Frequency Response : All hydro units of 25 MW and above capacity are mandated under
the Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) to provide primary frequency response through
governor action (RGMO/FGMO).
• Part-load operation for maintaining reserves: Thermal & gas generators have obvious
technical & commercial constraints limiting their capability to operate below a certain level of
generation. Hence, conventionally the hydro units are deployed as most economical flexible
resources for extended part load operation to ensure adequate hot spinning reserves for the
grid.
• Load following - Correlation with Demand: The hydro and gas power units with smaller
time constants of the different control systems are best suited for rendering the load following
service.
• Energy Storage capability (Pumped Storage Hydro Units): Pumped storage hydro
plants (PSP) are one of the most deployed grid level conventional energy storage devices
which can operate in all 4 quadrants of active & reactive energy to cater to the flexibility
requirement of the grid.
• Multiple start-stop operation : This is a typical characteristic of flexible generators like the
hydro/gas power units to undergo multiple start-stop operation during a day to manage
demand variability as well as the intermittency of renewable generation.Number of Tripping/
Wear & Tear cost increases during lean period due to frequent start stop in Hydro plants
• Black-start capability: Hydro units having auxiliary consumption in the range of 0.5 to 1%
are the most preferred & economical source of black start used for restoration following a
power blackout. The higher inertia & reactive capability of hydro turbines (as compared to the
gas turbines) provides the transient & voltage stability necessary for island built-up during
grid restoration. This places the hydro units on top priority list during the system recovery
after a black-out.
• Quick start capability: the hydropower generation could be set up in just a few minutes -it
is much less than that of other types viz. gas turbines which takes 30 min to 1 hour , or a
few hours of the steam generation
16. What is normative Auxiliary consumption of different types of Hydro Power Stations.

Surface Power Plants

Rotating Excitation system: 0.7%
Static Excitation System (IC > 200 MW): 1.0%
Static Excitation System (IC ≤ 200 MW): 1.2%

Underground Power Plants:

Rotating Excitation system: 0.9%

Static Excitation System (IC > 200 MW): 1.2%
Static Excitation System (IC ≤ 200 MW): 1.3%

17. What is Design Energy

Design Energy means the quantum of energy which can be generated in a 90%
dependable year with 95% installed capacity of the hydro generating station;

18. Major Points of Deviation Settlement Mechansim.

Deviation’ in a time-block for a seller means its total actual injection minus its total scheduled
generation and for a buyer means its total actual drawal minus its total scheduled drawal.

Frequency band 49.85-50.05 HZ.

DSM price vector is linked to price discovered in day ahead energy market.
Charges for deviation for each 0.01 Hz step is changing every day.
Deviation price vector linked to Daily Average Area Clearing Price (ACP) in Day Ahead Market of
Power Exchange.
Frequency Band: 49.85 - 50.05 hz
Charges for Deviation:
49.85hz: 800 Paise/KWH,
50.05hz: 00 Paise/KWH
The Cap rate for the charges for deviation for the generating stations, irrespective of the fuel
type and whether the tariff of such generating station is regulated by the Commission or not, shall
not exceed 303.04 Paise/kWh.”

Additional Charge for Deviation shall be applicable for over-injection/ under-drawal of electricity
for each time block by a buyer/seller as the case may be when grid frequency is ’50.10 Hz and
above’ at the rates equivalent to charges of deviation corresponding to the grid frequency of ‘below
50.01 Hz but not below 50.0 Hz’, or cap rate for deviation of 303.04 Paise/kWh whichever is
lower."

The under-injection /over-injection of electricity by a seller during a time-block shall not

exceed 12% of the scheduled injection of such seller or 150 MW, whichever is lower when
frequency is 49.85 Hz and above‟

Max Possible Injection (MW): 12% of SCH or 150MW whichever is lower

19. WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF ANNUAL FIXED COST OF HYDRO

The Annual Fixed Cost (AFC) of a generating station or a transmission system including
communication system shall consist of the following components:
 1) Return on equity;
2) Interest on loan capital;
3) Depreciation;
4) Interest on working capital; and
5) Operation and maintenance expenses:

1. Return on Equity:
Rate of pre-tax return on Equity = Base rate/(1-t)
Base rate for Pondage: 16.5%, for RoR Hydro: 15.50%
t: MAT- Minimum Alternate tax
RoE shall be calculated at the beginning of every FY based on the estimated profit and tax to be
paid estimated in line with the provisions…….
In case of Generating Company MAT is considered as 17.47%
2. Interest on Loan Capital
The repayment of each year of tariff period 2019-24 shall be equal to the depreciation allowed for
corresponding year/period.
The rate of interest shall be the weighted average rate of interest calculated on the basis of the
actual loan portfolio after providing appropriate accounting adjustment for interest capitalized.

3. Depreciation:
Depreciation allowed= 90% of Capital Cost (Salvage value of Asset: 10% of Capital Cost)
Depreciation of Hydroelectric Asset: 5.28%, however the depreciation of other assets like land
and IT infrastructure are different.
Weighted Average Depreciation rate shall be considered: 5% yearly for 12 years (total
depreciation 60% of AFC)
Balance part of AFC is depreciated in balance life (28 years) of the Plants.

4. Interest on working capital

Interest on working capital comprises of following:
 Receivables equivalent to 45 days of annual fixed cost;
 Maintenance spares @ 15% of operation and maintenance expenses including security
expenses; and
 Operation and maintenance expenses, including security expenses for one

5. O&M Expenses:
In case of the hydro generating stations declared under commercial operation on or after
1.4.2019, operation and maintenance expenses of first year shall be fixed at 3.5% and 5.0%
of the original project cost (excluding cost of rehabilitation & resettlement works, IDC and IEDC)
for stations with installed capacity exceeding 200 MW and for stations with installed capacity less
than 200 MW, respectively.

IC>200MW: 3.5% of Project Cost

IC<200MW: 5.0% of Project Cost

In case of hydro generating stations which have not completed a period of three years as on
1.4.2019, operation and maintenance expenses for 2019-20 shall be worked out by applying
escalation rate of 4.77% on the applicable operation and maintenance expenses as on
31.3.2019. The operation and maintenance expenses for subsequent years of the tariff period
shall be worked out by applying escalation rate of 4.77% per annum.

20. WHAT IS THE COMPONENT OF TARIFF?

 1. Capacity Charges

The capacity charge (inclusive of incentive) payable to a hydro generating station for a calendar
month shall be:

AFC x 0.5 x NDM / NDY x (PAFM / NAPAF) (in Rupees)

Where,
AFC = Annual fixed cost specified for the year, in Rupees
NAPAF = Normative plant availability factor in percentage
NDM = Number of days in the month
NDY = Number of days in the year
PAFM = Plant availability factor achieved during the month, in percentage

2. Energy Charge

Energy charge rate (ECR) in Rupees per kWh on ex-power plant basis, for a hydro generating
station, shall be determined up to three decimal places based on the following formula, subject to the
provisions of clause (7) of this Regulation:

ECR = AFC x 0.5 x 10 / {DE x (100 – AUX) x (100 – FEHS)}

Where,
DE = Annual design energy specified for the hydro generating station, in MWh,
FEHS = Free energy for home State,

21. WHAT ARE THE PROVISIONS FOR RECOVERY OF SHORT FALL IN GENERATION FROM
HYDRO STATIONS:

In case the saleable scheduled energy (ex-bus) of a hydro generating station during a year is less
than the saleable design energy (ex-bus) for reasons beyond the control of the generating station, the
treatment shall be as per clause (7) of this Regulation, on an application filed by the generating
company.

(7) Shortfall in energy charges in comparison to fifty percent of the annual fixed cost shall be allowed
to be recovered in six equal monthly instalments:

REVIEW OF DESIGN ENERGY

Provided that in case actual generation from a hydro generating station is less than the
design energy for a continuous period of four years on account of hydrology factor, the
generating station shall approach the Central Electricity Authority with relevant hydrology
data for revision of design energy of the station.

(8) Any shortfall in the energy charges on account of saleable scheduled energy (ex-bus) being less
than the saleable design energy (ex-bus) during the tariff period 2014-19 which was beyond the
control of the generating station and which could not be recovered during the said tariff period shall
be recovered in accordance with clause (7) of this Regulation.

22. WHAT IS LEVELIZED TARIFF?

LEVELLISED TARIFF:
 Levellised Tariff is calculated by carrying out levellisation for 'useful life' of each technology
considering the discount factor for time value of money.
Levelised Tariff= (Sum of Discounted tariff)/(Sum of Discounted rate)

23. WHAT ARE ANCILLARY SERVICES?

“Ancillary Service” or “AS” in relation to power system operation, means the service necessary to
support the grid operation in maintaining power quality, reliability and security of the grid.
Ancillary services include:
 Primary Reserve Ancillary: RGMO
 Secondary Reserve Ancillary Service: AGC
 Tertiary Reserve Ancillary Service: FRAS
 Active power support for load following,
 Reactive power support,
 Black start and such other services as defined in the Grid Code;

Technical questions
Mechanical Discipline Question & Answers
Q1:- what is mechanical fuse in turbine?
A:- shear pin in turbine is known as mechanical fuse. During
closing of
guide vane, if any obstruction between the guide vanes prevent
their
closure , shear pin breaks down and avoid further damage of
guide vane.
This pin is installed in guide vane linkage mechanism in Francis
and Kaplan
turbine.
Q2:- what is suspended, semi umbrella and umbrella machines?
A:-In suspended type machines location of thrust bearing is above
rotor, in semi umbrella type machines location of thrust bearing is
below rotor and in umbrella type machines location of thrust
bearing is above rotor but there is no upper guide bearing.
Q3:- what is maintenance seal in turbine?
A:-Inflatable seal in Francis/Kaplan turbine is also known as
maintenance seal. As the name suggest, it is applied by the use of
air pressure(7 bar) and it gets inflate. It is applied when any
maintenance is to be carried out in shaft seal of turbine.
Q4:- which type of turbine is impulse turbine?
A:- Pellton turbine. It is installed at Kishanganga, Sewa-II,
Parbati-II.
Q5:- what are the main causes of vibrations in turbine?
A:- Shaft alignment & levelling not correct, any mechanical
looseness, uneven air gap between stator and rotor, disturbed
guide bearing gaps, hydraulic imbalance at runner, excessive
cavitaion etc.
Q6:- what is are mechanical faults in the machine?
A:- guide/thrust bearing temperature too high, high vibrations in
bearings, overspeed, abnormal sound, shear pin failure, governor
hunting,
Q7:- what is the function of idler valve?
A:- This valve load/unload governor pumps depending upon the
OPU(Oil Pressure Unit) pressure. It means when OPU pressure is
low, the pump delivery is directed to OPU through idler valve(i.e
pump is loaded). When OPU pressure reached the rated value,
the pump delivery is directed to oil sump through idler valve(i.e
pump is off load).
Q8:- what is the function of equalizing pipes?
A:- As the name suggest, equalizing pipes equals the water
pressure above runner crown to draft tube pressure so that there
is no additional axial thrust on the runner. This additional axial
thrust increases the load on thrust bearing which results in
increased thrust bearing temperature.
Q9:- what is synchronous condenser mode?
A:- In synchronous condenser mode, turbine works in motoring
mode(i.e it draws power from grid) contrary to the conventional
generating mode. It is used to improve the voltage profile of the
grid. This system is installed in Uri-I and Chamera-II power
station.
Q10:- what is normal guide bearing gap setting range?
A:- 0.15-0.35mm.
Q11:- what are the different parts of distributor in Francis
turbine?
A:- Head cover/top cover, bottom ring/pivot ring, guide vane,
regulating ring, guide vane servomotor, Linkages between
regulating ring and guide vanes( consist of shear pin, lever,
handle, holding disc, etc).
Q11:- what is dual regulation turbine?
A:- Kaplan turbine is known as dual regulation turbine as its guide
vane and runner blade both are adjustable through their separate
governing system. Guide vane regulation is the master and runner
regulation is slave i.e runner blade follows the guide vane. In
Tanakpur, TLDP-III & TLDP-IV power stations Kaplan turbine is
installed.
Q12:- what is cavitation and how it can be prevented?
A:- When at the runner outlet water pressure falls below the
vapour
pressure of water at that temperature, local boiling of the water
forms
bubbles which exploded rapidly by the near by water and creates
hammering effect. This creates nucleus at the runner surface
which further
leads to rapid erosion of the runner material. For preventing
cavitation, air
injection valve is provided which admits the air through the
turbine shaft
and breaks the vaccum at runner outlet. This phenomenon is
prominent in
reaction turbines.
Q13:- what is the least count of the dial gauge used in mechanical
measurement?
A:-0.01mm
Q14:- what is forbidden zone ?
A:- Forbidden zone is the output range in which the operation of
turbine is not recommended due to cavitation, rope formation
etc. It is defined by OEM.
Q15:- what is the function of shaft seal?
A:- Shaft seal prevents the entry of leakage water (between
runner and head cover) in to the turbine guide bearing. Shaft seal
is of two type:- Axial and Radial. In axial seal, sealing face is
parallel to shaft axis where as in radial seal it is perpendicular to
shaft axis.
Q16:- what is HS oil injection system ?
A:- It is hydro static oil injection system which is used during
starting(from 0 to 50% speed) and stopping of the machine(from
50% to 0 speed). It creates a oil film between thrust runner plate
and thrust pads by virtue of pressure developed by the pump to
overcome the initial friction due to inertia of the machine. After
50% speed hydro dynamic film is created and the pump stops.
Q17:- what is MIV and how it is classified?
A:- MIV is main inlet valve which stops the flow of water to
turbine. It is classified based on the head. For heads above 200m,
spherical valve is used and below 200m., butterfly valve is used.
Q18:- what is service seal and maintenance seal in MIV?
A:- Downstream seal is known as service seal and upstream seal is
known as maintenance seal. In normal operation, service seal is
used. When any maintenance of service seal is required then
maintenance seal is applied.
Q19:- what is the function of bypass valve in MIV ?
A:- Bypass valve equals the upstream and downstream pressure
across the valve and reduces the load on the trunion bearing
during opening of the valve.
Q20:- what is HP-HVOF coating?
A:- It is high pressure-high velocity oxy fuel coating. It is being
used for coating under water parts particularly in high silt prone
power stations due to its high silt resistance properties.
Q21:- what is composition of HP-HVOF coating powder?
A:- Tungsten carbide(WC):-86%, Cobalt(Co):-10%, Chromium(Cr):-
4%
Q22:- what is the thickness and bond strength of HP-HVOF
coating ?
A:- Thickness:-250-300microns, Bond strength:-12000psi
Q23:- what is gauge length?
A:- Gauge length is the length of the specimen on which tensile
tests such as stress measurement, elongation measurements are
performed.
Q24:- Name any three non-destructive test(NDT) for crack
identification?
A:- DPT(Dye Penetrate Test), MPI(Magnetic particle inspection),
UT(Ultrasonic test)
Q25:- what are templates?
A:- Templates are used to match the profile of runner blade/guide
vanes (after repair) to approximate to their original profile(new
ones). These are usually in sets for inlet edge and outlet edge of
the runner blade. These templates are generally provided by the
OEMs
A. CAPABILITY CURVE

The Capability Curve of a Synchronous Generator defines a boundary within which

the machine can operate safely. It is also known as Operating Charts
 or Capability Charts. ... The MVA loading should not exceed the generator rating.
This limit is determined by the armature of the stator heating by the armature current.
 The MVA loading should not exceed the generator rating. This limit is
determined by the armature of the stator heating by the armature
current.
 The MW loading should not exceed the rating of the prime mover.
 The field current should not be allowed to exceed a specified value
determined by the heating of the field.
 For steady state or stable operation, the load angle δ must be less than
90 degrees. The theoretical stability limit of the stable condition occurs
when δ = 90⁰.

The capability curve is based upon the phasor diagram of the synchronous
machine. The phasor diagram of a cylindrical rotor alternator at lagging
power factor is shown below.

B. How do you calculate generator capability curve?

 Capability Curve of Generator defines the boundaries within which it can deliver
reactive power continuously without overheating. ...
 Armature current is the load current in the stator winding. ...
 Therefore the armature current of Generator shall not exceed the design
maximum value. ...
 P+jQ = VI* where I* is conjugate of I.
C. Why are alternators rated in KVA and not in kw?
If we connect inductive or capacitive load (When power factor is not at least unity),
The output would differ than as there are losses occurs due to low power factor. For
this reason, KVA is an apparent power which does not take in to account the PF
(Power factor) instead of KW (Real Power). And kVA = KW / Cos θ.
D. What is under excitation limiter?
The Under Excitation Limiter (UEL) has been introduced in the excitation systems
mostly to prevent the loss of synchronism of generators and also prevent exceeding
machine under-excited capability limit which otherwise leads to overheating of the
stator of the machine and also challenges different part of ...
E. Negative Sequence Relay?

Negative sequence relay is used to protect the alternator or generator from the
unbalance loading & negative sequence component. The negative
sequence current flows through the generator winding due to phase to phase short
circuit.

Negative sequence: A balanced three-phase system with the opposite

phase sequence as the original sequence.
Zero Sequence: Three phasors that are equal in magnitude and phase

F. Generator Protections Systems?

 Abnormal Conditions
Loss or insufficient excitation
Overload
Overvoltage
Under and Over frequency
Unbalance current
Inadvertent energization
Out of step (loss of synchronism)
Loss of prime mover (motoring)

G. Type of Protective Relays of Generator Protections?

Over voltage protection
Over fluxing protection
Low forward power and reverse power protection
Dead machine protection
Stator over current protection
Rotor Over current protection
Generator Loss of excitation protection
Generator negative phase sequence protection
Back up distance protection
Shaft damage protection
Under frequency protection
Generator pole slipping protection
UAT breaker failure protection
H. Type of Protection System of Generator Transformers?

1. Generator differential protection (87/G1): the protection is provided with

high speed, high stability circulating current relays. The relays has a pick up
range of 10 to 40% of 5A and shall have suitable stabilizing for ensuring
stability against external faults. The relays shall be tuned to fundamental
frequency to reject harmonics produced by CT saturation.
2. Generator-transformer differential protection (87/GT1): the diff. relays for
the generator-transformer has to be of sensitive high speed percentage bias
type with harmonic restraint and has CT ratio matching devices.
3. Unit auxiliary transformer differential protection (87T1A): percentage
biased differential relays are used along with ratio matching device. The relay
shall not operate for magnetizing inrush current. High set instantaneous over
current relays shall be provided in series with the previous relay, set for
magnetizing inrush current, for fast protection from internal faults.
4. Generator stator earth fault protection (64GI): the stator earth fault
protection shall consist of a zero sequence voltage relay connected to the
broken delta winding of generator voltage transformer. The protection shall act
to initiate a time-delayed signal only and hence the relay shall be continuously
rated for 110V.
5. Generator inter-turn protection(87TG): the protection shall be by means of
an instantaneous over current relay. The relay shall incorporate filtering
 arrangements to make it inoperative for third harmonics. The relay shall have
suitable range to cover 20-50% of generator current.
6. Generator rotor earth fault protection(64-1,64-2): the first rotor earth fault
of generator shall be detected by means of super imposing of separate Dc
bias on the field winding. The DC bias shall be such that the faults at any point
in the winding are covered by the protection. Also the relay shall withstand the
voltage encountered. Second rotor earth fault protection for generators shall
also be provided, with suitable relays common for two units.
The protection shall incorporate feature for compensating the effects of
induced alternating currents in rotor circuit and shall have minimum dead
zone.
7. Generator loss of field protection(40G): this protection shall be single
phase off set impedance type. The relays shall have impedance settings to
cover the usual range of impedance of large turbo generators.
8. Generator backup protection(21G): the generator backup relay shall be of
three phase impedance type for one zone protection together with required
auxiliary relays and two stage timer to give backup protection for faults in the
generator, main transformer and transmission system.
9. Generator negative sequence current protection(46G): the negative
sequence current relays shall protect the generator from damage by
overheating due to sustained flow of unbalanced phase currents, and the
operating characteristics of the relay shall be adjustable to match I 2Rt thermal
characteristics.
10. Generator under power and anti motoring protection (67-1G, 67-
2G): the step up transformer back up earth fault protection current
relays shall be of IDMT characteristics. One of the two relays shall be set
with higher time dial setting to provide second stage of protection.
11. Generator overload protection(51G): one over current relay shall be
provided to initiate an overload alarm. The relay shall have high reset ratio
and adequate continuous thermal rating.
12. Generator over voltage protection(59G): suitable over-voltage relays
preferably with volt/cycle characteristics shall be provided.
13. Back-up protection for unit auxiliary transformer(50T1A): Two
instantaneous over current relays with an external DC timer shall be provided
for back-up protection for unit 6.6 kV bus bar.
14. Fuse failure protection(95G): This protection shall block the operation
of all protections associated with voltage circuits in the event of failure of a
fuse of generator.
15. Lockout relays(86G and 86GT): lockout relays shall be provided for each
generator unit which will be multi contact , hand reset type. The latching
mechanism shall be positive and insensitive to vibration and shock

I. Type of Protective Relays of Generator Protections?

A synchronous condenser is operated in a borderline condition between a motor
and a generator with no mechanical load to fulfill this function. It can compensate
either a leading or lagging power factor, by absorbing or supplying reactive power to
the line. This enhances the power line voltage regulation.
J. How can a synchronous be employed for power factor correction?
The power factor of a synchronous motor is changed with a change in the
excitation. When the excitation of the motor is increased, the power factor changes
from lagging to unity and then to a leading power factor.

K. What is synchronous speed and it's formula?

This rotating magnetic field moves with a speed called synchronous speed.
The Synchronous speed can be calculated as follows: 120 times the frequency (F),
divided by the number of poles (P): The synchronous speed decreases as the number
of poles increases.

L. What is slip formula?

If the synchronous speed of the motor is 1250 and the actual speed is 1300 then
please find the slip in the motor? Nr = 1250 rpm. Ns = 1300 rpm. The speed
difference can be calculated as Nr-Ns = 1300-1250 = 50. The formula to find a slip in
the motor is (Nr-Ns)*100/Ns = 50*100/1300 = 3.84%.

M. What is slip speed?

The speed at which the induction motor work is known as the slip speed. ... The
difference between the synchronous speed and the actual speed of the rotor is
known as the slip speed. In other words, the slip speed shows the relative speed of
the rotor concerning the speed of the field.

N. How much prop slip is normal?

The number we will find is the difference between the theoretical and the actual boat
speed, which is actually the slip value of our propeller if we convert it into a
percentage. We should know that, as far as the ribs are concerned, most
ideal slip percentages range between 4-8%.

O. What is difference between 95% & 100% earth Fault?

•RAGEK 95% -
earth-fault protection covering 95% of the stator winding - two stage measuring of
filtered fundamental frequency neutral point voltage - each stage has delayed output
with three make contacts and red indicating flag - dimension: 4U 24C •
RAGEK 100% -
earth-fault protection covering 100% of the stator winding - measures filtered
fundamental frequency neutral point voltage to protect 95% of the stator winding -
measures filtered third harmonic neutral point voltage to protect 95-100% of the stator
winding - as little as 1% generator third harmonic voltage enables full protection -
delayed outputs with three make contacts and red indicating flag - the 95-100%
function is supervised by generator voltage or current

P. What is the difference between earth fault and ground fault?

Ground Fault is nothing but a fault or contact occurs between the Live conductor
to ground/neutral point. ... Ground Faults are more severe than Earth Faults due to
the flow of large amount of current flow, which can damage various equipment of a
power system if the fault is not cleared within a specified time.