Power projects may take longer: Badal
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 2
It’s official. None of the four power thermal plants proposed as the flagship projects of the SAD-BJP combine may be completed till February, 2012, when Punjab goes to the polls for a fresh mandate. All four projects, which have been conceived in two years, were supposed to come on steam within three years making Punjab a power-surplus state.

However, this is not likely to happen for another four years or so. Moreover, government’s most ambitious 2,640 MW Gidderbaha project may take even longer to be commissioned as work has not been started on it.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, when questioned on the issue at an interaction here today, admitted as such saying: “Whenever they take off at least the SAD-BJP term will be remembered as one in which the initiative to establish the thermal plants was taken”. This is the first time the government has admitted that it may not be able to ensure commissioning of all four thermal plants by the end of its term.

According to the estimates of the Central Electricity Authority, only one 270 MW unit of the 540 MW Goindwal project may be commissioned by February, 2012. GVK, which has been awarded the project, has, however, “assured” Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal that it would commission the project within the next two years. The company has initiated work by placing orders for turbines and boilers with BHEL.

Regarding other projects, the 1980 MW Talwandi Sabo project, which was awarded to Sterlite around a year ago, is still to witness its financial closure. The company has, however, “assured” the government that it would complete the project by the beginning of 2012. In case of the Gidderbaha project, the position is even shakier. This is because the bidding for the project has not taken place due to a lack of coal linkages. The matter is being taken up with the Centre.

In case of the 1320 MW Rajpura thermal project, a dispute has arisen and the matter is before the Appellate Tribunal. Lanco, which has earlier been the lone bidder for the project and had also renegotiated the per unit price, has approached the tribunal after the PSEB decided to go in for a rebid. As of now, the time for submission of bids has been extended by another month.

Even as the commissioning of all four projects is not going to happen soon, the demand-supply gap of power is expected to increase. The Central Electricity authorities has projected a demand-supply gap of 1,932 MW for 2008-09. For 2009-10, the authority has projected a gap of 2,239 MW with demand being 9,312 MW against an availability of 7,073 MW.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said efforts were afoot to get more power for the state.