Project delay costs PowerGrid Rs 160 cr

The PowerGrid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) has lost a revenue of Rs 160 crore due to delay caused in the commissioning of the Dul Hasti Hydel Power Project in Doda (Jammu and Kashmir), while it generated an overall revenue of Rs 475 crore in 2005-06 in the Northern Region"�II.

The company, having laid a 400 KV single circuit transmission line from the Dul hydel project site to the Kishanpur power station in Udhampur in March 2000, still awaits the commissioning of this power project over the Chenab river by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) authorities.

The PGCIL undertook the work in 1992 and completed it in 2000 at Rs 193.47 crore. This transmission line is single-circuit, having a length of 120 km, which will supply power to the Sarna and Moga power stations in Punjab, which falls under the Northern Grid Transmission II.

PowerGrid (Northern Region) Executive Director N S Saxena told Business Standard the delay of more than six years in commissioning the 390-Mw Dul Hasti project had caused a loss Rs 26 crore per year to the company.

He added the Dul-Kishanpur transmission line was completed and test charged about six and four months ago by the corporation. So, the accumulated losses on account of tariff had gone up to Rs 160 crore, he said.

He said similar losses were also incurred by the PowerGrid in the delayed commissioning of the Nathpa Jhakhri Hydel Power Project in Himachal Pradesh.

Saxena, who is holding the charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh and part of Haryana, further said despite these losses, the company had generated a revenue of Rs 475 crore while it was Rs 400 crore during 2004-05.