THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
JULY 6, 2026
Vedanta Power Limited
has begun FY 2026-27 on a strong note, reporting a 38 per cent year-on-year
increase in power sales to 5,225 million units during the quarter ended June
30, 2026, driven primarily by a sharp rise in generation from its expanded
Meenakshi Energy plant. On a sequential basis, however, power sales declined 6
per cent from 5,530 million units recorded in the March quarter.
The company said the
June quarter spanned both the pre- and post-demerger periods, following the
demerger of Vedanta Power from Vedanta Limited during the first quarter of
FY27. It noted that comparisons with previous reporting periods should
therefore be interpreted in this context.
The standout
performer during the quarter was Meenakshi Energy, which recorded power sales
of 1,350 million units, registering an impressive 245 per cent year-on-year
growth from 391 million units in the corresponding quarter last year.
Sequentially, sales also rose 16 per cent from 1,161 million units in the March
quarter.
The company noted
that the year-ago quarter reflected operations from only a single 300 MW
generating unit, whereas the latest performance benefited from the plant's
expanded operational capacity of 1,000 MW, significantly boosting output.
Vedanta Power's
Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant remained its largest contributor, recording power
sales of 2,723 million units, broadly in line with 2,715 million units in the
corresponding quarter of FY26. Compared with the previous quarter, sales
increased 14 per cent from 2,386 million units.
The plant reported an
availability factor of 86 per cent during the quarter, compared with 90 per
cent a year earlier and 77 per cent in the March quarter. Vedanta Power said
the plant's power purchase agreement with the Punjab government provides compensation
based on a normative plant availability of 80 per cent, and the facility
continued to operate above this threshold during the quarter.
At the Sakti Thermal
Plant, power sales stood at 465 million units, reflecting a 57 per cent
sequential decline from 1,087 million units in the previous quarter. The plant
had recorded no sales during the corresponding quarter of the previous
financial year.
The company
attributed the decline to reduced plant availability following a boiler
incident on April 14, 2026. The facility, formerly known as the Athena Power
Plant, has remained temporarily shut since the incident, impacting quarterly
generation.
Meanwhile, the Jharsuguda Thermal Plant sold 687 million units of electricity during the quarter, marking a modest 1 per cent increase over 678 million units in the year-ago period. However, sales declined 23 per cent sequentially from 896 million units in the March quarter.
Despite the sequential drop in sales, the plant's operational performance improved significantly, with its availability factor rising to 93 per cent, compared with 66 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year, while remaining broadly stable against 94 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.
