Date:09/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/09/stories/2006050910750400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

KPTCL to challenge regulatory panel order

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Bharat Lal Meena, Managing Director, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd., has said that KPTCL will challenge the Karnataka Electricity Regulation Commission (KERC) order quashing its request to increase the transmission tariff from 19 paise to 26 paise.

He was speaking to presspersons before the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Lights Museum and Energy Centre and Human Resource Development Centre at Hoody near here on Monday.

The KPTCL would challenge the KERC's decision before the Central Electricity Authority Appellate Tribunal. He said KPTCL had asked the KERC to grant Rs. 2,700 crores for improving transmission projects. The KERC quashed the order with regard to transmission tariff increase and agreed to grant only Rs. 1,700 crores.

"They have committed a fundamental error. They asked us to manage the situation by pooling in our resources. But there still is a Rs. 300-crore gap. The KERC has not said how we are supposed to fill that gap," he said.

Manageable

Mr. Meena said that the power supply situation in the State was manageable and there was no need to resort to load shedding in cities.

He said that load shedding in rural areas of the State was only for six hours.

The present consumption was around 110 million units and the peak demand during summer was 127 million units this year, he said.