Review power purchase pacts inked by SAD-BJP, says PDA

Tribune News Service
Patiala, July 22

The Punjab Democratic Alliance’s (PDA) leaders, including Sukhpal Singh Khaira and former MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi slammed the previous SAD-BJP regime for signing shoddy power purchase agreements with private thermal plant firms. 

They said the state government should review the power purchase agreements signed during the SAD-BJP tenure as they have landed the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in a financial mess and burdened the consumers.

Khaira said the SAD-BJP government had signed the PPAs with Sterlite for 1,980 MW Talwandi Sabo thermal plant, with Larsen and Toubro for 1,400 MW Rajpura thermal plant and with GVK for 500 MW Goindwal Sahib thermal plant. 

He alleged that the government had also agreed to pay them exceptionally high fixed charges per unit, as compared to other thermal plants across the country with similar capacity and technology.

Khaira said, “Punjab was paying fixed charges at Rs 1.35 per unit to Talwandi Sabo plant, Rs 1.50 per unit to Rajpura plant and Rs 1.93 per unit to Goindwal Sahib plant while fixed charges for Mundra thermal plant in Gujarat were 90 paisa per unit and for Sasan thermal plant in Madhya Pradesh it was 17 paisa per unit.”

Dr Gandhi said as per the order of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission Tariff, the state has to pay Rs 1,010 crore for 1,712 million units (MUs) solar power at Rs 5.90 per unit during 2017-18. He said the state has to pay Rs 776 crore for 1,459 MUs power from biomass plants at Rs 5.32 per unit.

Speaking on resignation of former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu from the Punjab Cabinet, Khaira said Sidhu should take his own decision about staying in the party or moving out.