HYDERABAD: The Telangana government purchased 48,425 million units of power with `20,580 crore during the last four years to meet the uninterrupted power demand in the State, said Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy on Saturday. While revealing the data during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Saturday, the minister dismissed the popular belief that the State was spending a bomb on purchasing power from private parties. He alleged that PSUs like NTPC were charging more than private power producers. He also made it clear that there would be no revision of electricity tariff for all categories of consumers for the coming fiscal year.
Replying to a question raised by BJP members, G Kishan Reddy, K Laxman, and Ch Ramchandra Reddy , the Energy Minister pointed out that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was very particular that farmers in the State should not suffer due to power shortage and hence the government had to go in for purchase of the same from non-government power production organisations like Sembcorp Energy India Ltd and Solar Developers.The minister refuted the allegations made by the BJP members that the rate at which the power was purchased was higher than rates in other states. “Telangana’s average expenditure on power purchase is less than its neighbouring states which is around `4.54 per unit. The average expenditure for power purchase is `4.56 per unit in Andhra Pradesh, `4.72 per unit in Tamil Nadu and `4.79 per unit in Karnataka,” he said.
Reddy added that the State Discoms were purchasing power at `5.42 per unit from NTPC-Vellore and at `5.46 per unit from NTPC-Kudgi, but private power production company Sembcorp which won tenders in an open bidding, was supplying power at `4.12 per unit. The minister reminded that the government has to follow the guidelines of the Central government’s energy ministry in the purchase of power through open tenders. “The State government is maintaining utmost transparency in power purchases by inviting open tenders,” he said.
The Telangana government is providing 24-hour power all over the state. The cost of 24-hour power supply to people, besides free supply to the farmers, is met entirely by the State with no support from the Central government, the minister added.Speaking on the allegation by members that power distribution losses were more in the State compared to other states, the minister said that the distribution losses in Telangana Discoms was about 10.03 per cent, which is the lowest in the country. In 2014, the transmission losses was pegged at 12.8 per cent.
At national level, the loss is around 23.3 per cent. The government was taking all required measures to reduce the losses by keenly monitoring the discoms, the minister added. According to him, the government was also discouraging industries against purchasing power directly from power producers.