Monsoon windfall for Powercom
Gurpreet Singh Nibber [email protected]
PATIALA:

TRADING Hopes to raise Rs 100 cr
The monsoon has wreaked havoc in many parts of Punjab but for the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (Powercom) it has been a boon. Making the most of dip in power demand after widespread rains, Powercom is selling excess power through Power Exchange and other transmission agencies to states such as Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Powercom hopes to sell power worth Rs 100 crore till the first week of September.
On Wednesday alone Powercom earned Rs 2.5 crore by selling excess power through the Power Exchange.

Most of this electricity is sold from the power it has in its pool after various tie-ups under longterm and short-term agreements. As per Powercom figures, 200 to 300 MW is sold every day at the rate of Rs 3.5 per unit.

Powercom has tie-ups for about 1,200 to 1,300 MW from outside agencies and states to deal with peak demand load.
But now, a huge chunk of power is going unused. As per reports, about 30 per cent of the total power coming to Powercom has been sold back to other agencies.

The power situation in the state improved with the advent of monsoon early this month.
The demand for power in this peak season touched an alltime low to 5,900 MW on Friday, which was about 7,200 MW on the corresponding day last year.