Government buying coal, power at high tariffs: TDP

Amaravati: The TDP on Thursday criticised the YSRCP government for purchasing power at a cost of Rs 11.68 per unit. The Opposition party also found fault with the government for its failure to procure sufficient coal stocks in advance.

While the State government has been claiming availability of renewable energy at lower prices and aiming to renege PPAs, based on the assumption that it would be available at around Rs 3 per unit or even less, the Opposition party flayed the government for dragging the State to power crisis.

The TDP pointed out that the Energy department has been purchasing power at very high tariffs to meet ongoing crisis. The State government was spending more than Rs 11 per unit, since it failed to maintain sufficient coal stocks in advance to generate power to meet the demand.

The maximum demand is 6848 MW in the State as on October 9, according to the daily report of the Energy department, placed on AP Core Dashboard. TDP MLC Dokka Manikya Varaprasad said that the State government did not buy sufficient coal in advance on the one hand and on the other it has been purchasing power at Rs 11.68 per unit.

He questioned how could one understand the intention of the government? The TDP also criticised the State government for its failure to collect electricity dues worth Rs 5,700 crore from the TS government, despite completing more than four months in governance.

The State government completely neglected the available wind power and was depending only on generating thermal power. It forced the State energy sector into further troubles, Manikya Varaparasad added. Recalling the earlier claims of the State government that there was no demand for power beyond the generating capacity of the established thermal plants in the State, he questioned, if it was the case then why this crisis surfaced.

He further observed that the government has been purchasing the premium coal from Singareni Collieries Company Limited at Rs 3,710 per tonne. In fact, it is available at the same SCCL at Rs 2,650 per tonne, he said.

On the other hand, coal is available at Rs 1,600 per tonne at Mahanadi Coal Mines. The State is buying around 88,000 metric tonnes of coal from SCCL at a cost of Rs 3,710 per tonne. It reveals that the State government has been spending an extra Rs 2,110 per tonne on purchase of coal, the TDP leader said.