THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The power purchase controversy, which exposed divisions in the six-month-old UDF government, appears to be heading towards a rapprochement, with the very leaders at the centre of the row stepping in to bury the hatchet. Meanwhile, Keralam is set to expedite steps to finalise an arrangement to procure 540 MW from NTPC’s Sinnar thermal power plant in Maharashtra, though the agreement is yet to be formalised.
Differences between Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph reportedly figured during a routine high-level meeting on Wednesday night involving the two leaders and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.
Though Sunny Joseph did not divulge details of the meeting, he confirmed to TNIE that the way forward to address the state’s power situation figured in the discussions. Chennithala, meanwhile, sought to play down reports of differences, saying that they had spent several hours together on Wednesday and that there was no argument or disagreement.
However, sources said the discussion centred on Satheesan’s suggestion that KSEB’s warning of an impending power crisis be examined. The move had potentially put Sunny Joseph, under whose concurrence the procurement proposal was forwarded to the chief minister, and ex-KSEB CMD M G Rajamanickam under scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Keralam expects to receive 270 MW from NTPC’s Sinnar plant from February 2027, with another 270 MW potentially available from March a senior KSEB official said. However, the availability of the entire 540 MW is not guaranteed, as Maharashtra will have priority over the electricity generated by the project.