Punjab ‘fails’ to augment power generation
Only 500 MW capactiy added in 10 years, say engineers
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Power Pangs

n The state started suffering from power shortage after the year 2000
n Power purchase bill increased from Rs 2,405 cr in 2005-06 to Rs 6,020 cr in 2007-08
n Short-term power purchase bill increased from Rs 542 cr in 2005-06 to Rs 2,285 cr in 2007-08
n Engineers demand withdrawal of Power Generation Policy 2010

Patiala, July 27
Power capacity addition of just 500 MW in a decade. Sounds strange, but true. This is what Punjab has achieved on the power front in the past 10 years. The startling figure came to light when the PSEB Engineers’ Association, the largest body of engineers working with the Power Corporation, released “White Paper” on the present state of affairs of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) — the two power utilities of Punjab.

A thorough perusal of the “White Paper” shows that till 1995, Punjab was comfortable on power front, with availability of more power than demand. “Punjab started suffering the brunt of power shortage after 2000. After the commissioning of 600 MW Ranjit Sagar Dam in 2000 and 420 MW Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant in 1998, the state augmented the power capacity of the Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant by 500 MW in 2008. Addition of mere 500 MW of power in a decade itself speaks of the non-seriousness of the successive state governments towards the most important power sector,” reads the “White Paper”.

Expressing his views on the matter, the president of the PSEB Engineers’ Association, H.S.Bedi, said with no power generation likely to be added in another at least one-and-half years, the gap between the demand and supply is bound to increase in future. “The power purchase bill increased from Rs 2,405 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 6,020 crore in 2007-08. The costliest component of power purchase that is short-term power purchase bill increased from Rs 542 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 2,285 crore in 2007-08.

Precious funds, which could have been utilised for setting up new generation capacity, were instead utilised to buy power at high cost from the market, which resulted in putting the Power Corporation into a debt trap,” he argued.

The “White Paper” also highlighted that power engineers and the PSPCL management had been requesting the state government to set up at least one thermal plant under the state sector but to no avail. The “White Paper” is also critical about the new power generation policy announced by the Punjab Government last year. “The new policy is bound to increase the power tariff. Considering the policy in totality, the Power Generation Policy 2010 should be withdrawn immediately,” demanded the association members.

Meanwhile, under the banner of the PSEB Engineers’ Association, the power engineers in various offices of the Power Corporation, across the state, observed a two-hour “pen-down and tool- down” strike.