Rajasthan Merit Order 11–17 May 2026: SASAN cheapest at Rs. 1.55/kWh; DADRI Liquid most expensive at Rs. 27.74/kWh
Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services Limited has issued its weekly Merit Order Dispatch for May 11 to May 17, 2026.
The list covers 43 power stations in Rajasthan’s procurement portfolio.
Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project leads the merit order.
Its all-inclusive tariff is Rs. 1.55/kWh.
Its variable cost is Rs. 1.376/kWh.
Costliest station
At the other end of the merit order, DADRI Liquid is the costliest source.
Its tariff stands at Rs. 27.74/kWh.
This creates a 17-times spread between the cheapest and costliest stations available to Rajasthan’s power managers.
The wide gap shows why merit order discipline is critical for controlling power purchase costs.
Merit order importance
Merit Order Dispatch ensures that lower-cost generation is scheduled before expensive power.
For DISCOMs, this directly affects average power purchase cost.
For consumers, it ultimately influences tariff pressure.
In a high-demand summer period, disciplined merit order scheduling becomes especially important.
Low-cost coal options
Beyond Sasan, NTPC’s Rihand cluster offers some of the best low-cost coal-based options.
RIHAND 1, 2 and 3 are priced between Rs. 2.52/kWh and Rs. 2.95/kWh.
Singrauli STPS is priced at Rs. 2.76/kWh.
These stations form the next low-cost tranche after Sasan in Rajasthan’s weekly procurement stack.
Liquid fuel economics
DADRI Liquid at Rs. 27.74/kWh would be dispatched only in extreme system conditions.
Liquid-fuel plants are typically used as last-resort peaking resources.
Their high tariff makes them unsuitable for routine scheduling.
However, they can remain valuable during grid emergencies or severe evening supply shortages.
DISCOM impact
Rajasthan’s three DISCOMs are the direct beneficiaries of merit order optimisation.
These include Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam, Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam, and Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam.
Lower-cost dispatch helps reduce the average cost of supply.
This is especially important for a state with large agricultural, domestic, and industrial demand segments.
Coal stock concern
The merit order also intersects with coal stock availability.
If low-cost coal stations face supply constraints, Rajasthan may be forced to move up the cost curve.
This would mean scheduling more expensive stations.
CEA’s coal stock data around the period flagged coal stock stress at several plants.
Such constraints can weaken the practical benefit of a low-cost merit order.
Market price context
The weekly merit order also matters because exchange prices have been volatile in May 2026.
Evening market prices have repeatedly touched high levels.
If DISCOMs cannot fully rely on cheaper contracted sources, they may need to procure power from exchanges.
That can expose them to higher short-term prices.
Operational message
The 11–17 May merit order highlights the deep cost gradient in Rajasthan’s power procurement stack.
Sasan at Rs. 1.55/kWh provides the cheapest supply.
Rihand and Singrauli provide the next low-cost coal options.
DADRI Liquid at Rs. 27.74/kWh shows the steep cost of emergency peaking supply.
For Rajasthan, strict merit order discipline remains essential to keeping procurement costs and consumer tariff pressure under control.
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