734 The Punjab Government will be renegotiating the power purchase agreements (PPAs) made with 117 companies generating electricity from renewable energy sources. File photo
Ruchika M Khanna
Chandigarh, July 22
The Punjab Government will be renegotiating the power purchase agreements (PPAs) made with 117 companies generating electricity from renewable energy sources. The state plans to reduce the charges paid to them by Re 1 per unit.
A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting between the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and Power Department officials here today. The power officials have been told to convene a meeting with all those producing renewable energy for the state and renegotiate and reduce the charges paid to them, on the same lines as has been done by the Uttar Pradesh Government. The charges paid to private power producers in UP have been reduced by Rs 0.75 per unit.
PSPCL’s power generation is fully dependent on the transmission of power on its 400/220 KV transmission system.
Facing a power demand of over 14,500 MW this year, the PSPCL is struggling to maintain its in-house operations & import power from the northern grid due to its mismanagement and financial constraints
Import limit
PSPCL can import maximum power of 7,300 MW from the northern grid. Its in-house operation capacity is 6,840 MW, of which generation of 660 MW at private TSPL plant had stopped in March this year. To meet its power demand, especially during paddy season, PSPCL in April this year had sought enhancement in total transfer capacity/available transfer capacity (TTC/ATC) from NRLDC for importing power through the northern grid.
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IN the election year, the buzzword across Punjab is power political as well as electrical. The Congress government is struggling to provide eight-hour uninterrupted supply to farmers, a make-or-break vote bank, during the paddy transplantation season, even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced up to 300 units of free electricity if the Aam Aadmi Party comes to power in the state. A month ago, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission had reduced the tariff for domestic consumers with monthly consumption of less than 300 units by up to 20 per cent, a move that was aimed at wooing around 70 lakh users. Amid this competitive politics, the irony is not lost on anyone: though the state is ‘power-surplus’, both urban and rural areas are facing long, unscheduled cuts. The peak summer, coupled with a delayed monsoon, has pushed the maximum power demand in the state to over 14,500 MW, which is about 1,500 MW higher than what the Punjab State Power Corp
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Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 28
With an eye on the Vidhan Sabha elections expected early next year, the Congress-led Punjab Government has announced a 50 paise to Re 1 per