Reliance Infrastructure Ltd’s Samalkot power plant in Andhra Pradesh is preparing for a shutdown today, though gas supply to it is still on.
The issue of stoppage of the supply has arisen with the Anil Ambani-owned company refusing to pay marketing margin on it to Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd and the latter giving formal notice to stop supply.
In a letter to Union petroleum secretary R S Pandey, R-Infra has sought to know if RIL was entitled to charge the margin despite the fact that “RIL is not sharing this part of sales consideration with the government. Thus, several crores of rupees that would belong to the government are being diverted by RIL”.
And, in a letter to R-Infra, RIL has accused it of breaching the contractual notice period for maintenance shutdown at its power plant.
However, RIL is supplying gas till now, despite the payment default.
“Under the terms of the GSPA, a change in the schedule of planned maintenance needs a 60-day prior notice. As an exception, we agree to change in planned maintenance by one day (to September 28), even though such notice was not given to us in accordance with the provisions of the GSPA,” RIL’s Marketing Head R Suresh has informed R-Infra.
Terming the marketing margin “illegal”, R-Infra had refused to pay it, prompting RIL to put it on notice for nonpayment of an estimated Rs 12 lakh for the first fortnight of September, before invoking a bank guarantee to realise the amount.
“Please note that by continuing the supply of gas to the extent aforesaid, we should not be deemed to have waived our notice of suspension dated September 22 or any of our right under the GSPA or our letters dated September 22 or accepted the obligation to resume supply of gas at all till the payment default on your part is continuing,” Suresh wrote.
