Amid coal crisis, windfall for power-surplus Himachal

Subhash Rajta

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 20

As several states faced power shortage due to dwindling coal stocks, Himachal not only remained unaffected but also earned good profit over the last month.

“We are generating surplus power. Since per unit price of power has increased, the state has been making profit for the past one month or so,” said an official of the Himachal Pradesh State Load Dispatch Centre (HPSLDC), the agency that monitors the buying and selling of power in the state.

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Sells hydro electricity at Rs14/unit

• Himachal is generating 1.30 lakh surplus units per day
• The power price fluctuates between Rs2.50 and Rs6 per unit, but now the average price range is up to Rs11 to Rs 14 per unit

The official said the power rate jumped to the highest permissible limit of Rs 20 per unit on several occasions. “The price usually fluctuates between Rs 2.50 and Rs 6, but for at least 10 days in October the average price range has been Rs 11-14 a unit. The past few weeks have indeed been profitable,” he said. Much of the surplus power is going to the energy exchange. “We don’t have many bilateral power pacts where the price remains fixed. The exchange is market driven and rates are fixed as per demand and supply on a daily basis,” the official said.

Against the per day consumption of 3 lakh units, the state is currently generating 4.30 lakh units. “Though the generation is coming down gradually, we still have 1.30 lakh surplus units every day,” he said.