Year of missed deadlines & reduced T&D losses
Wednesday, 26/12/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121226/punjab.htm#1
Patiala : The year 2012 proved a mixed bag for the Power Corporation with its two power utilities - Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) - registering achievements as well as failures.
While the much-hyped commissioning of the first 660 MW unit of the upcoming Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant missed its November deadline, the precarious fiscal health of the Power Corporation continued and so were the power woes for the people, particularly during the summer months.
However, bringing down the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses drastically, curtailing its expenditure, sanctioning of 1,320 MW thermal power plant project to be undertaken by PSPCL and intensifying its drive to check power theft were some of the main achievements of the Power Corporation.
Going by the tall claims of PSPCL of ensuring sufficient power during the summer season no one had expected as to what was in store for the residents. With power demand seeing an unprecedented increase during peak summer time, 12-hour-long power cuts were the order of the day in almost all parts of the state. This was the only option available with PSPCL to meet the daily demand of 9,800 MW. Because of the weekly offs imposed on the industry, the industrial community vented its anger against the PSPCL authorities but for the Power Corporation, imposition of the regulatory measures was inevitable.
The expiry of memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed between PSPCL and Lanco Infratech Ltd, Hyderabad, for setting up 1,320 MW thermal plant at Kot Shamir in Bathinda and the non-initiation of work of 2,640 MW coal-based power project at Gidderbaha as well as 1,320 MW Gobindpura Thermal Power Project left PSPCL in a tight spot.
Even the deadline for commissioning of the first 660 MW unit of the upcoming Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant (1,980 MW) was extended from November 30 this year to April 13, 2013. These developments belied the claims made by the state government that Punjab would be a power surplus state by next year.
However, efforts made by PSPCL for getting the approval for setting up a 1,320 MW thermal plant at Mukeria (Hoshiarpur) on its own from the Punjab government not only proved fruitful but also silenced the power sector experts who had been critical of power generation capacity addition by private companies alone. Bringing down the T&D losses from 18 per cent to 17.4 per cent brought much accolades for PSPCL with the Council of Power Utilities awarding the Power Corporation for achieving the highest reduction in T&D losses in the country.
While the present total debt of the Power Corporation touched the figure of Rs 20,000 crore, the state government failed to come out with a financial restructuring plan for the power utilities as promised during unbundling of the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) in 2010.
However, the PSPCL did manage to curtail its expenditure and take steps to bring down financial losses. During the fiscal ending March 2011, PSPCL had suffered a financial loss of Rs 1,600 crore. The loss came down to Rs 240 crore by March 2012. Also, to check the alleged misuse of the free power being given to 11.7 lakh AP families across the state, PSPCL has decided to install automated meter reading (AMR) system on agricultural pumpsets in a phased manner. Besides, its drive to check the power theft in other categories of power consumers was also intensified.
Appreciation from Union Power Secretary P Uma Shankar that Punjab has taken a lead in the implementation of the Re-structured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) was something special for the Power Corporation. However, towards the end of the year, the alleged irregularities during separate examinations conducted for the recruitment for various posts in PSPCL and PSTCL brought both the power utilities under the scanner.
Punjab power corporation
Achievements: The Council of Power Utilities awarded the Power Corporation for achieving the highest reduction in T&D losses from 18 per cent to 17.4 per cent in the country
For the fiscal ending March 2011, PSPCL had suffered a loss of Rs 1,600 crore which came down to Rs 240 crore by March 2012
PSPCL intensified its drive to check power theft for all categories of consumers. It has decided to install automated meter reading (AMR) system on agricultural pumpsets
Appreciation from Union Power Secretary P Uma Shankar that Punjab has taken a lead in the implementation of the Re-structured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) was something special
Failures : Tall claims of PSPCL of ensuring sufficient power during the summer months were exposed with state witnessing unprecedented regulatory measures in the form of long power cuts in domestic sector and weekly offs in industrial sector
The expiry of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed between PSPCL and Lanco Infratech Ltd for setting up 1,320-MW thermal plant at Kot Shamir in Bathinda
Non-initiation of work of 2,640 MW coal-based power project at Gidderbaha and 1,320 MW Gobindpura Thermal Power Project
Commissioning of the first 660 MW unit of Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant missed its November 30 deadline.
