PSPCL chief, principal secretary summoned
Gurpreet Singh Nibber
CHANDIGARH:

TARDY PROGRESS Corporation falls short of targets set by PSREC; asked to explain rationale behind 75,000 new tubewells

The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has summoned top officers of the power sector to seek an explanation for the tardy progress on the “efficiency measures“ suggested by it while announcing power tariff for 2011-12 in April this year.
Top power officials, including principal secretary, power, and chairman-cum-managing director of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), would face the regulatory commission in the last week of September, according to PSERC sources. As per data made available to PSERC, the power corporation is way behind the targets given by the commission for making power supply more efficient.

The measures recommended by PSERC include use of energy-efficient motors for tubewells, audit of short-term power purchases and coal consumption, relocation of metres outside the consumer premises, and reduction in employee cost.
The “unprecedented move“ of summoning top officials has not gone down well with the power department and PSPCL, as they would be asked to explain the impact of 75,000 new tube-well connections to be released during 2011-12 as per the latest policy of the state government.

The new connections are estimated to put additional load of 450 MW on the system. The SAD-BJP government, which has pulled out all stops to woo the electorate, is keen to release all new tube-well connections before the assembly elections early next year.

In its April order, PSERC had increased power tariff to give additional revenue of Rs 1,325.75 crore to PSPCL during the current fiscal and approved an equal amount as “regulatory asset“ to be claimed by the power corporation between financial years 2012-13 and 201415 by way of efficiency improvement.

The power utilities may not be able to recover this amount, given their performance till date, and it would have to be passed on to the consumers in that case, according to PSERC sources.
There are indications that the commission would seek explanation on power supply to the agriculture sector for which the government is paying huge subsidy to the power corporation.

After the installation of metres on 95% of the 3,300 agriculture feeders in the state, it is becoming increasingly difficult for power utilities to justify consumption of 10,000 MUs of power in the farm sector.
Analysis of data gathered from these metres shows the consumption to be on the lower side.
“We are open to discussion with PSERC. What the commission is saying was initiated by our corporation and we are keen to adopt all these measures. I want to clarify that we have not failed or lagged behind,“ said PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director KD Chaudhari.

PSERC is expected to ask PSPCL about the progress on the use of energy-efficient motors on tube-wells. The state has 11.43-lakh agriculture pumpsets and use of energy-efficient motors can help save 3,000 MUs of energy.

However, the pilot project to 2,000 pump-sets in two circles is hanging fire for the past two years. The commission is also considering audit of short-term power purchase and coal consumption at thermal plants, which comprise 60% of total expenditure of PSPCL.