Power engineers decry govt over Mukerian thermal plant

RUPNAGAR:

PSPCL IS MEETING 52% OF THE DEMAND FROM ITS OWN GENERATION AND REST FROM THE CENTRAL SECTOR AND PRIVATE PLAYERS

The PSEB Engineers' Association on Friday condemned the “unnecessary“ delay by the Punjab government to approve the proposal of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to set up 1,320 MW thermal power plant near Mukerian.
The plant was to set up under the state plan.
In a statement issued after a meeting of engineers of Rupnagar and SAS Nagar distribution circles, and BBMB officials here, association president HS Bedi said, “By handing over all future thermal plants to private players, the state government was trying to create private sector's monopoly in power generation that will be detrimental to the interests of public.“

General secretary Bhupinder Singh said the PSPCL was meeting 52% of the demand from its own generation and rest from the Central sector allocation and power purchase from private players.

Bedi said, “With the commissioning of new plants under the private sector without any addition in generation under the state sector, the share of own generation will go down to less than 19%, which will be inadequate to run the grid operations in an economical manner.“

Singh said, “In Punjab, the private sector is being allowed to take over the power-generation business by eliminating the state sector participation in new projects. It will increase the cost of power in the coming years.“

Bedi said poor financial health of the PSPCL and the state was cited as the reason for awarding all future thermal plants to the private sector ignoring the fact that total dependence on the sector would ruin the financial position of the corporation.

It was decided during the meeting that the association would soon issue a white paper on the “lopsided“ policy of the Punjab government in awarding power plants.

The association decided to resume its agitation in case approval is “unnecessarily“ delayed for setting up 1320 MW thermal plant. The future course of action will be announced at the zonal meeting in Bathinda on July 9.