‘Punjab to sell electricity by 2012’

Special Correspondent Hindu

Power generation all set to double from 6,900 MW to nearly 14,000 MW

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Tuesday that the State would not only start getting uninterrupted 24-hour power supply in the next two and a half years but would actually start selling electricity to other States.

Addressing a public rally at Rajpura in Patiala district, Mr. Badal said government efforts in this direction had brought Punjab to the take-off stage where power generation was set to double from the present 6,900 MW to nearly 14,000 MW.

Earlier, Mr. Badal laid the foundation stone for a new state-of-the-art 1,320-MW super thermal power plant designed, developed and operated by the country’s largest engineering company, Larsen & Toubro, through its wholly owned subsidiary Nabha Power Limited over an area of 1,080 acres in Nalash village at an estimated cost of Rs.9,000 crore.

Mr. Badal said the total supply of power in the State at present was approximately 6,000 MW against a demand of 9,000 MW, resulting in a shortfall of nearly 33 per cent, which would be covered up by setting up four thermal plants. The State Government had also embarked upon a programme to generate power from non-conventional and renewable sources of energy.

He said the total generation in this sector was only 65 MW in 2007 and now 202 MW had been added by installing 29 mini bio-mass power plants which would be further enhanced to 400 MW within the next two years. Another 1,000 MW would be tapped by establishing a gas-based power plant at Ropar.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the State Government would pass on the benefits accrued from the sale of power to consumers by cutting down on electricity rates. He said infrastructure and power were the core sectors for development for which the Akali Dal-BJP government wascommitted to undertaking major programmes. The State was all set to emerge on the international air map with the setting up of Mohali international airport and a Rs.17,000-crore greenfield airport near Ludhiana. He said upgradation of Amritsar international airport was under way and expansion of Sahnewal domestic airport was near completion. A domestic civil terminal at Bathinda was likely to be commissioned within three to four months.

PTI adds: Larsen & Toubro CMD A. M. Naik was present at the foundation stone-laying ceremony.

L&T has already entered into a power purchase agreement with the Punjab State Electricity Board and will supply electricity at Rs.2.89 per unit.