Kerala has been given two months time to put its Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) unbundling act together. However, this will not be enough, State power minister AK Balan said.
The Union power ministry is reluctant to give more time for unbundling as the deadline has been pushed off about seven times. The only option now before the LDF bosses of KSEB is to decide whether the bifurcated profit centres should remain in public sector or private sector.
“It will need extensive discussions to finalise the modus operandi for unbundling the board,” Balan said. At the same, he had assured the KSEB unions that even if unbundled, the board will remain within public sector. If the board should get any assistance from the Union power ministry, it shoulds to comply by the power reforms prescribed by the Central Electricity Act-2003.
It is while KSEB is fighting a complex situation of hydel power shortage and cut in unallocated share of power from Central pool, that the Damocles sword of unbundling within two months looms large on the board. Weak monsoon has tripped its surplus position in hydel power, produced at just 85 paise per unit. KSEB has signed up for a 1000 MW coal-powered thermal power station in Orissa, but this will be commissioned only 10 years later.
The immediate crisis of monsoon shortage is feared have KSEB incurring about Rs 2548-crore liability in power purchase bills. Even after clamping 30-minutes across-the-board loadshedding and 25% power cut on ET and EHT power consumers, the Board is unable to cope with the demand pressures.
