Bid it, book it and be assured for tomorrow. It?s all about the future tense in the present-day power scenario. Those who can foresee the future, plan accordingly. And when there is a heavy tussle going on between the power-starved states to book every unit of power being produced by power-rich states, it is but natural that planning well in advance is what takes the cake. In this tug-of-war for power, price is no matter. States are ready to cough up rates as high as Rs 7 and even more for every unit of power purchased.
Uttar Pradesh, the worst power-strapped state among all the northern states, is booking power for not only the peak summer months but also the winter demands. The state power utility, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited is already getting power worth 350-400 mw everyday from Himachal Pradesh, which it booked in March, outbidding Punjab and other states. But that is not enough, as the peak summer demand is already touching an unprecedented 8500 mw mark. With non-availability of more extra power and the agreement with Himachal expiring in September/October, the UPPCL bosses have already started looking for more options.
In this bid, they have booked 100 mw of power from Chattisgarh at Rs 7.07 per unit, which will be available from July till September. This has been done through the Power Trading Corporation (PTC). It is also in talks with Tamil Nadu to get 100 mw of power during June to September at Rs 6.65/unit. However, the bid with Tamil Nadu is not committed but is an ?unfirm? agreement, as another northern state, Punjab has outbidded UP by offering a higher rate.
A team of UPPCL recently also visited Kolkata to explore the possibilities of getting power from West Bengal from October to meet the winter demands. WB power officials have asked UPPCL to submit a detailed proposal. According to UPPCL insiders, they will submit a proposal soon.
Speaking about the roadmap being prepared by the state, Avnish Awasthi, MD UPPCL told FE, ?Our own generation is to the tune of 3200 mw, while 3300 mw is being taken from the central sector. With 400 mw of power from Himachal available till October and the 500 mw Anpara unit to e stabilized in a day or two, we thinkl we will be able to meet our present demands. Beyond September, we plan to get the deal with West Bengal through. In addition, in November and December, around 700 mw of power will come into being through co-generation as the sugarcane crushing period would begin. Also, we will get more power from Tehri this winter. So that should help us bide through bthe winter months carefully,? he stated.
As for the money needed to buy power at such high prices, Awasthi said that the Corporation would request the state government to give more grants so that adequate power can be arranged from other states, he added.