‘It’s not about money, it’s about power; has the contract cancellation finally proven wrong?’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Power Minister Sunny Joseph said the government is taking all efforts to purchase electricity at the lowest possible price. While talking to the media Monday morning, he added that given the emergency situation, there is no alternative but to purchase electricity.

‘There is no point in worrying about the money; what we need is power. An agreement that would have provided 465 MW of electricity for 25 years at a rate of Rs 4.26 to Rs 4.29 per unit was cancelled. Now, we are in a situation where we have to purchase electricity at Rs 30 per unit. We are trying to reinstate the agreement that was cancelled. The KSEB chairman has been entrusted for it.

When temperatures rose in Kerala, electricity was purchased on credit and that has to be repaid now. Don’t you realise now that cancelling the agreement was a wrong decision? Power had to be purchased on credit following the cancellation of the agreement. Had the agreement not been cancelled, there would have been no need to buy electricity on credit. We will take every possible step to procure electricity,’ the minister said.

Meantime, the opinion expressed at yesterday’s KSEB core committee meeting was that electricity must be procured from wherever possible, regardless of how high the price is, in order to avoid power cuts. The board directors and senior officials then began seeking information from North Indian states regarding the availability of electricity. Efforts are underway to urgently secure 1,000 MW of power.

The officials will hold direct discussions with the governments and power distribution companies of North Indian states. They are in regular contact with states such as Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. In addition to these efforts, a direct mission will also be undertaken. The possibility of entering into new power purchase agreements will also be examined.