KPTCL to forge tie-ups with private power producers

Bangalore, Mar 22 (UNI) To tide over power shortages during summer, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) has decided to ink long-term power purchase agreements with both private and government power manufacturers.

Speaking to newspersons here today, KPTCL Chairman Bharat Lal Meena said the Corporation had already entered into an agreement with the private sector Konaseema Power Company of Andhra Pradesh for supply of 500 MW power from its gas-based power unit in Godavari belt.

The company would start with a supply of 90 MW power from December and once it completes its second unit, it would start supplying 500 MW from 2010. The agreement would last till 2015 and KPTCL had agreed to pay them at Rs 3.60 per unit, he said.

Similarly, the Corporation would soon be signing agreements to get power from the Damodar Valley Corporation and Tata joint venture project in Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu government and NTPC JV in Vellore in Tamil Nadu to get 250 MW and 180 MW of power per annum respectively.

''This summer there won't be much problem as power position is quite good at present. We have the capacity to produce 125 MU per day at present and the consumption as on today has been 110 units.

This was due to widespread rains. In April, the consumption will go up to 135 MU per day,'' Mr Meena said.

On the suggestion of KPTCL, the state government had agreed to enter into equity participation with private and public sector power manufacturers outside the state, he said.

To tide over the shortage, KPTCL had signed a tie-up with JSW for supply of 100 MW at Rs seven per unit from April and Zindal would be supplying a further 100 MW later this year. ''We are happy that the Union Power Ministry has removed the restriction on the state and restored the supply of 100 MW of power from central grid,'' he said.

The restriction was imposed for overdrawing of power in the past.

Meanwhile, Mangalore Electricity supply Company (Mescom), one of the five electricity supply companies in the state, had bagged the bronze shield for achieving third lowest transmission and distribution (TD) loss in the country at 13.6 per cent.

The first two places were taken by the two city-based electricity supply companies in Gujarat. ''Mescom's achievement is notable because 75 per cent of transmission takes place in rural areas in this circle. 13.6 is excellent compared to state's average of TD loss of 23 per cent,'' he said.

Mr Meena said the corporation was taking several steps to bring down TD losses and increase efficiently. This included higher implementation of IT, district level automation and auto meter reading at transformer level.

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