The Hindu : Invest in power projects, Krishna tells pvt. sector

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 28, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Invest in power projects, Krishna tells pvt. sector

By Our Staff Correspondent

GURUVAYANAKERE APRIL 27. The Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, today invited private players to invest in power projects in the State. He said the Government would invest Rs. 1,000 crore to initiate reforms in the distribution sector.

Inaugurating the 48.521-km.-long 220-110 kV multi-circuit lines from Khemar to Guruvayanakere and the 2 x 20 MVA, 110/33/11 kV sub-station here, Mr. Krishna said the Government had taken the initiative to generate 1,720 MW through public sector enterprises. This included 220 MW from the eighth unit of the Raichur thermal plant, 500 MW from the Hospet project, 290 MW at the project in Alamatti, and 750 MW at the project in Bidadi.

Noting that the Government was under pressure to continuously invest in such initiatives, he urged private players to fill the gap. He said private companies could fill the gap left by now defunct MoU signed with the erstwhile USSR for setting up a thermal plant at Padubidri in Dakshina Kannada District.

Expressing satisfaction that private companies had shown interest to invest in power generation, Mr. Krishna said transmission and distribution losses were high in the State. The Government was attempting to reduce them in phases by setting up sub-stations, transformer and capacitor banks, and "strategising" the entire set-up aimed at achieving optimum results. On the Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme initiated by the Centre, Mr. Krishna said Karnataka was the first to sign an MoU for this purpose. Thanking the Centre for providing it with resources for power sector reforms under the APDRP, Mr. Krishna said the response to it was good in places such as Bijapur and added that the Government and the KPTCL would step up efforts in this regard.

Admitting that Karnataka faced power shortage due to various reasons, including its dependency on hydel power, he said the Government had managed to tackle the crises that had developed by successive failure of monsoon. There were limitations on generating hydel power, and the State was forced to import power, he said.

Stressing that power sector reforms would proceed in stages, he said the KPTCL had to weather opposition from people and environmentalists to implementing the project. Noting the Government had taken into consideration these protests, he said it was well thought out step aimed at providing quality power supply to the region and addressing a long-pending need of the local people.

He announced that the KPTCL would take up the work of laying a 220kV line from the sub-station to Puttur in the next three months. He said that the KPTCL's enthusiasm to initiate such projects in Dakshina Kannada District was matched by the resolve of people here to pay their power dues without dispute. Hoping that such consciousness would serve as an inspiration for the rest of the State, Mr. Krishna appreciated the people here for welcoming metering of non-domestic units. He said this was an ideal situation at energy mapping and billing a consumer on actuals rather than on average, which put the people and the power generating and distributing agencies in a difficult situation. Mr. Krishna described the project executed by the KPTCL at a cost of Rs. 26.89 crore as a revolution for it had facilitated movement of petroleum products of MRPL through the pipeline project of the Petronet India Limited. He said the pipeline would reduce congestion along Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway as it would bring down the number of tankers transporting these products now.

The Managing Director of KPTCL, K.N.Shrivastava, highlighting the salient features of the project, said it was the first multi-circuit line in the State. He said it would reduce energy loss to the tune of 26.49 units per annum, improve voltage in and around Belthangady taluk in particular and the district in general, besides catering to the future load growth in the region. The Belthangady MLA, K.Prabhakar Bangera, presided over the function. The Chairman, KPTCL, Veerakumar A.Patil, the Minister of State for Energy, Basavaraj Patil Humnabad, the KPCC President, B.Janardhana Poojary, the Minister of State for Ports and Fisheries, Vasanth V.Salian, the District in-charge minister, B.Ramanath Rai, and senior officials were present.

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