Punjab seeks more power
Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 18
The Punjab government has sought additional power for the state from Central power projects. The demand was made by Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Punjab Minister for Food Supply, while participating in the power ministers’ conference held in New Delhi earlier this week. The conference was presided over by Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

Kairon said Punjab shares its international border with Pakistan, and the Punjab State Electricity Board has been supplying power from its own resources for special lighting system, defence connections and agricultural tubewells between the fencing and international border. These provisions have to be made by imposing power cuts on other sectors or buying power.

He said for this, Punjab needs a compensation of over 380 MW from Central sector projects on continuous basis.

He added the state government was committed to make Punjab a power-surplus state by the end of the 11th Plan. Keeping this in view four thermal plants of 6480 MW capacity have been set up in the state.

While two plants have already been allotted to private builders on BOO (build, own and operate) basis, a letter of intent for the Rajpura Thermal Plant will be issued in a few days. However, bidding for the Gidderbaha Project had to be deferred a number of times for want of finalisation of coal linkages by the Ministry of Coal.

Kairon requested the Union Power Minister for early allocation of coal blocks to avoid any further delay. To ensure fuel security for the thermal plants, he also demanded an increase in coal allocation from Coal India Limited from the present 6.6 million tonnes to 8 million tonnes per annum, at least till another coal block is allocated to Punjab.

He also put up the case for having at least two Central sector power plants of 1,000 - 1,200 MW capacity each, in Punjab so that the state could get additional power allocation or free power as admissible to home states.

He also made a suggestion of a light water reactor-based nuclear power plant in the state. He reminded the Union Minister of the 1,500-MW power allocation to Punjab from the 4,000-MW integrated coal pit head thermal plant to be set up by the NTPC at Lara in Chhattisgarh.

He also demanded that the special allocation of 270 MW of power from the east during the summer months to Punjab should be continued till 2012, as the state faces power shortage throughout the year. The additional power so allocated is provided to agricultural sector which largely contributes to the Central food stocks.