Power exchanges clock growth despite pending discom dues worth Rs 1.32 trn

A third player starts operations, pointing to the potential of this nascent business

India’s power trading market is a challenging place. It is dominated by two entities of which one accounts for a 95 per cent market share. It has recently faced payment disruptions and regulatory price caps. Yet, this has not deterred a third operator from starting operations and NTPC, the country’s largest power producer, from raising its stake in one of them.

The biggest of the energy trading exchanges is the 14-year-old Indian Energy Exchange, initially promoted by Financial Technologies India, which was divested of its holding in 2014 following regulatory transgressions. It accounts for 95 per cent of the power