CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Sunday opposed the union government’s move to change the way power from central generating stations is supplied to states.
In a statement, he said the Ministry of Power is planning to end the existing priority allocation of electricity to states where central power plants are located, and instead route the entire supply through a competitive bidding system. He warned that the move would affect all states, including Tamil Nadu, both in terms of power availability and finances, and would undermine states’ rights.
Pointing out that no state in India is fully self-sufficient in power, Anbumani said Tamil Nadu faces a relatively tighter situation. As of April 24, the state’s total power demand stood at 20,444 MW, of which only 2,857 MW is generated by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board’s thermal plants. The remaining requirement is met through purchases from central and private power producers.
He said TN receives around 6,998 MW from central generating stations, including Vallur, NLC, Ennore, NTPL Tuticorin, Kalpakkam and Kudankulam, and noted that power from these sources is cheaper than that procured from private players. Anbumani cautioned that shifting to a bidding-based system would force the state to procure electricity at higher rates. This, he said, would increase the financial burden on the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and could lead to a hike in power tariffs.