KOCHI: Questioning CM VD Satheesan’s justification of the decision to purchase power from GNA Energy Private Ltd, experts in the sector said Himachal Pradesh power was cheaper and matching Kerala State Electricity Board's (KSEB) requirement.
A top KSEB official said the decision to purchase ‘round-the-clock’ (RTC) power is unjustifiable as Keralam has surplus solar power. “Peak demand in Keralam is between 6pm and 11pm and 5am and 7am. If we purchase 500 MW RTC power at Rs 8.645 per unit, the daily consumption will be 12 million units (MU). The HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) has offered variable power generated by small hydel projects. Had we confirmed the offer, we would have got 8.824 MU power. Of that, 7.177 MU will be from 5am to 8.30am and 5pm to 10.30pm, which matches KSEB’s requirement,” the official said.
Further, of the 12 MU power offered by GNA Energy, only 4.5 MU is available during peak hours while 7.17 MU comes from HPSEB, the official said.
KSEB, in a note submitted to the government, said: “The Himachal power offers a significant operational benefit to the KSEBL by providing substantially higher power availability during critical evening peak hours compared to the proposed 500 MW RTC supply through GNA Energy OTC Platform. The HPSEB has offered peak-hour support ranging from 864 MW to 1280 MW from November to March 2027, which matches Keralam’s demand pattern.
Substitution of Himachal power with the GNA offer would consequently increase the evening peak deficit by 364 MW to 780 MW during these months. Further, the GNA power is available only up to March 2027 whereas Himachal power extends to May 2027 when the state is expected to experience a substantial peak demand.”
Though KSEB had invited tender for the purchase of power, GNA approached the government directly. The maximum power available with KSEB through internal generation and power purchase agreement is 4,200 MW, but Keralam’s peak-hour demand has been hovering around 5,000-5,500 MW during the past two months. If the state decides to purchase GNA power, KSEB will have to purchase around 700 MW from the real-time market to avoid power cut.
“The daily power purchase from GNA will be around 12 MU and only 4.5 MU will be available during peak hours. So the effective price of GNA power is rS 5.21 per unit more than HPSEB power. The CM tried to justify the GNA deal by hiding the real figures,” said a leader of the KSEB Officers Association (CITU).