The additional pay burden has forced the state electricity board to seek a hefty hike in power tariff across the board. However, the state government has yet to take a decision in this regard.

According to the figures available with The Financial Express, the SEB has to pay Rs 602.9 crore to the four IPPs alone for the purchase of power this fiscal. KSEB has to pay Rs 318.78 crore to the NTPC for the power drawn from the first stage of its Kayamkulam thermal power plant. NTPC will supply 1035 mkwh power per annum to the SEB at a rate of Rs 3.08 per kwh.

The per unit cost of power is tentative as the SEB and the public sector power major have yet to reach an agreement on the final price of power from theKayamkulam station. NTPC is the first IPP to start producing thermal power in the state. The corporation has commissioned the first 115 mw of the 350 mw, naphtha fired combined cycle plant at Kayamkulam early this year.

The SEB's power purchase burden to NTPC will go up further once it commission the second and third units of the power station. The corporation has already test fired the second unit and is expected to commission it in a couple of months time.

KSEB also have to shell out Rs 246.12 crore to pay the BSES Kerala Power Ltd (BKPL) for the purchase of power this fiscal. The first IPP in the private sector to set up power station in Kerala will supply 1035 mw power this fiscal to the SEB at a cost of Rs 2.80 per unit. The 165 mw, combined cycle thermal power plant jointly promoted by Mumbai power major BSES and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) is slated to go on stream by next month.

The SEB also have to pay Rs 29 crore per annum to the Deccan Power promoted EDL-OCfor the purchase of 100 mkwh power at a price of Rs 2.90 per unit and another Rs 9 crore to the RPG-promoted diesel-fired Kazargode power project for the purchase of 30 mkwh power at a price of Rs 3 per unit.

However, both the power plants have failed to take off so far following procedural delays and lack of interest shown by the promoters.

The SEB's estimated pay burden to the four hydel stations coming up in the state is to Rs 17.26 crore. The four power stations will together supply 87 mkwh power this fiscal to the SEB at an uniform rate of Rs 1.99 per unit.