Haryana govt inks MoUs with Power Trading Corp

In an attempt to resolve power shortage and improve the supply position on a long-term basis, the Haryana government is trying to enter into arrangements with different states, and power-generating and trading corporations.

"With growing industrialisation and urbanisation in the state, the demand for electricity is set to increase manifold. The state government does not want to get into the trap of heavy power shortage, which may impact the overall development," said a senior state power department official.

The present average power demand in Haryana is around 4,011 Mw. It is expected to be in the range of 6,500-7,000 Mw by 2012, as demand is increasing by about 10-12 per cent a year. Of this, industrial and urban areas are expected to account for 50 per cent of the demand.

As part of the state government's pro-active strategy to meet the future demand, Haryana Power Secretary RN Prashar, and Managing Director of Haryana Power Generation Corporation, Jyoti Arora, at a recent meeting with Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Power Trading Corporation (PTC) TN Thakur stressed the need for a higher allocation to the state.

The PTC chairman, according to sources, assured Haryana government officials that the corporation would try to maximise electricity allocation to the state from the 721.6 Mw gas-based power project in Tripura, the 1,000 Mw Karchan-Wangtoo Hydroelectricity Project in Himachal Pradesh, the 750 Mw West Seti Hydroelectricity Project in Nepal, and the 1,200 Mw Teesta Hydro Electric Project in Sikkim.

The state government has already signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the PTC for providing 850 Mw of additional power. According to the MoUs, PTC will provide 200 Mw from the Tripura power project, 200 Mw from the Karchan-Wangtoo power project, 150 Mw from the West Seti project and 300 Mw from the Teesta Hydro Electric project. These projects are likely to be commissioned between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

The state government has already joined hands with the private sector to meet the growing demand for electricity and has embarked upon a plan to add over 5,000 Mw of power generation capacity to be ready to meet the future demand-supply gap.

According to the official, construction of the 600 Mw Yamunanagar Thermal Power Project is likely to be complete by March 2008. "Arrangements are being made to facilitate generation of 1,065 Mw in Faridabad, 1,080 Mw in Hisar, 1,000 Mw in Jhajjar, and two plants of 600 Mw and 400 Mw each in Panipat," he said.

The state government has also formulated a policy on power generation through non-conventional sources and has decided to provide incentives for investment in these areas.

The state government has also finalised a Rs 702-crore plan to construct 63 new substations and augment 58 existing substations.

"The plan is likely to be fully executed within the next two years," he added.

"The state government is sewing up new power-supply agreements to get the early bird benefits, and prevent any future growth slowdown, which may happen because of power shortage," the official said.