Team Herald
PANJIM: With Goa totally depending on Central power generation stations for its requirement, the State’s spending on power purchase is reporting a sharp increase annually. The government will have to spend Rs 1485 crore on power purchase in 2017-18, when the demand for power is expected to touch 4282 million units.
The State Electricity Department that is reeling under financial losses is spending nearly 80 percent of its revenue on power purchase. The next big expenditure head is its employees.
The department in its petition submitted to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) said that the State’s power purchase for the current financial year stood at 3693 million units at an estimated cost of Rs 1,103.63 crore.
For FY 2016-17, the demand for power is likely to see a sharp increase of 268 million units to 3961 million units with purchase cost of Rs 1,246 crore. The same will touch Rs 1,485 crore in 2017-18 when the power demand is expected to touch 4282 million units.
The department last month submitted a petition to JERC to review revenue requirement for FY 2015-16 at Rs 1,522.96 crore, aggregate revenue requirement (ARR) for FY 2016-17 at Rs 1,710.06 crore, ARR for FY 2017-18 at Rs 1,879.20 crore and ARR for FY 2018-19 at Rs 2,115.42 crore.
The State meets it power requirement from Central power generation stations – National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC). Under NTP the power generators are – Korba, Vindhyachal, Kawas Gas Power Station, Gandhar Gas Power Station, Sipat Super Thermal Power Station, Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, Ramagundam Super Thermal Power Station and Mauda Super Thermal Power Station. For the FY, the energy deficit and peak hour power deficit was anticipated at 18 million units and 5 million units, respectively.
The power distribution loss was pegged at 11 percent.
The department is expected to spend around Rs 800 crore on upgrading infrastructure, including new transmissions, sub-stations, transformers, in the coming financial year. It has also earmarked Rs 171 crore for underground cabling.
