Post-SC order, power tariff set to go up
Jangveer Singh/TNS

Chandigarh, September 27
Punjab is heading for an increase in power tariff following the Supreme Court decision increasing Himachal Pradesh’s share in three different hydel projects in the hill state today.

Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) Chairman KD Chaudhari said the power utility would have to go in for a marginal increase in the power tariff as its share in hydel projects in Himachal would go down.

Chaudhari said Punjab would now have to arrange for the resultant deficit from other sources, which would involve additional expenditure with hydel power being available at extremely low rates.

Hydel power from the three projects - the 1,380 MW Bhakra Nangal project, the 990 MW Beat unit I (Dehar) project and the 360 MW Beas unit 2 (Pong) project - is available to all three partner states at around 20 to 25 paise per unit. The three partner states are selling most of this at commercial rates of around Rs 4 per unit.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which manages all three hydel projects, generates around 10,000 to 14,000 million units annually. Of this, the Punjab share is 54.5 per cent annually. BBMB Member, Power, Ashok Thapar said the board had generated and distributed power worth around Rs 400 crore to the three partner states in the past six months. Though Thapar said he did not have the exact figures, by this logic the BBMB distributed power worth around Rs 700 to 800 crore to the three partner states.

Meanwhile, All-India Power Engineers Federation president Padamjit Singh said cheap hydro generation was sustaining the power utilities in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and all three utilities would be adversely affected by the apex court’s decree. Padamjit said the decision would also cause financial distress to the utilities, which were already facing difficulties in raising loans from financial institutions.

He said compensation to be given to Himachal for excess power drawn since 1996 from the Bhakra project, besides the other two projects, as per the apex court directive would “cripple” the power utilities.

Padamjit said Himachal stood to gain as it was already selling its entitlement of free power from the Nathpa Jhakri and other projects in the state at commercial rates. He said this season during the summer Himachal had sold its share of free power from the Nathpa Jhakri project to Uttar Pradesh at the rate of Rs 4.30 per unit.

Sources said Himchal could stand to gain an additional 150 MW of power following the Supreme Court decree on the basis of population ratio of transferred territory in terms of the Punjab Reorganisation Act - 1966.

Now, four-day weekly off for industry
Umesh Dewan/TNS

Patiala, September 27
The power crisis in the state has aggravated further and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has imposed a four-day weekly off (96-hours) on arc/induction furnaces and rolling mill consumers.

These power regulatory measures come into effect from tomorrow. According to the top brass of the power corporation, any relaxation in the weekly offs in the next few days is unlikely. The decision has come as a shock for the Punjab industry with industrial associations condemning the move. According to sources, the power demand in the state on September 26 was recorded at 1700 lakh units, whereas 1480 lakh units were available. Punjab received 187 lakh units from the BBMB, 545 lakh units from the central pool, 500 lakh units from its own thermal plants and 224 lakh units from hydel generation yesterday. The hydel generation has come down by 60 lakh units. The power corporation is getting 80 lakh units less from the Singrauli Super Thermal Power Plant and the Rihand Thermal Plants in Uttar Pradesh.

Besides, the power being purchased by the industrialists through open access has come down by 100 lakh units. “These factors have increased the gap between demand and supply, compelling the PSPCL to impose a four-day weekly off on the arc/induction furnaces and rolling mill consumers”, said PSPCL Director (Distribution) Arun Verma. A senior official, pleading anonymity, said: “Since the cost of power available through open access has gone up, the industrialists have stopped purchasing power.”

PSPCL CMD KD Chaudhri said these regulatory measures were temporary and would be withdrawn as and when the power supply position eased.

Power demand in the state on September 26 recorded at 1700 lakh units against the available 1480 lakh units
Hydel generation has come down by 60 lakh units
Power being purchased by industrialists through open access system has come down by 100 lakh units