Firms must bid to sell captive coal power: Moily
The power ministry has framed new bidding guidelines to prevent private firms with cheap captive coal mines selling power at steep rates in the open market and reaping windfall profits. Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme of the Express group, power minister Veerappa Moily said the guidelines would require companies in all segments — ultra mega, captive and merchant — generating power to participate in bidding for selling electricity.
The minister said there would be no large-scale coal block cancellations, assuring the money lent by the banks to power companies would be safe. Moily said the new bidding guidelines would resolve the immediate problems in the coal and power sector.
“The power ministry has put up the revised power bidding document on its website. There is no question of passing on the windfall profits to these people (corporates). If at all windfall profits have to go, these will go to the consumers. These will apply to all producers,” Moily said.
“There are other checks and balances (in place). Just because the coal is allocated to these power producers, it does not mean they (corporates) can utilise it as they will. Before the coal is taken up, they have to enter into a certain agreement. Even for selling power, they must go through competitive bidding,” he added.
The new bidding norms will cover even those who generate power from captive mines. Thus, it will be applicable to Jindal Power’s 1,000 MW Tamnar power plant in Chhattisgarh. The Naveen Jindal-promoted company bagged the captive mine in
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