Lack of Funds with State Govt Likely to Result in More Power Cuts
Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Apr 9: Even as the two thermal power plants of Raichur Thermal Power Station that had been shut down for repairs, commenced producing power again, the government appears to be under compulsion to resort to more power cuts to manage the situation, as the demand for power has been going up steadily.
“To meet the shortage of power in the state, we have bought 200 mega watts of power from Gujarat. People should cooperate with the government by scaling down their power consumption,” requested Chief Minnister, B S Yeddyurappa, speaking at Hubli on Thursday April 8. He said that the government also hopes to mop up additional 2,000 mw of power by banning the sale of 800 mw of power privately produced in the state, to entities outside the state, and by the addition of the power generated by Udupi Power Corporation Ltd shortly. “We are paying six to seven rupees a unit for buying power. This is a very heavy load on the government. People should cooperate,” he requested.
The hydel power generation in the state has been scaled down to about 30% of the capacity because of the dwindling level of water. Consumption of electricity has gone up by 12% as compared to last year. Raichur Thermal Power Stations is mired in one problem or the other. The sugar factories and private power generation companies have already entered into agreements for sale of power to Tamil Nadu and other states. The state recently issued orders under section 11 of Karnataka Electricity Act, barring these entities from selling power outside the state. These companies have in turn, told the government that they have already committed for selling power to other states, and that they are not agreeable for the price of Rs 5.50 per unit offered by the government.
The state governments will require thousands of crores of rupees to buy power to meet the shortage, which it can not afford under the prevailing circumstances. Even though the Chief Minister had claimed in the legislative council that Rs 5,000 crore had been set aside for purchase of power, it is learnt that only Rs 300 crore has been provided for this purpose so far. This amount is too meagre to make any difference.
Hence, it is being analyzed that in the coming days, the load shedding hours will go up sharply till the monsoon sets in.