Power secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, in an interview with CNBC-TV18 on Monday, said that the government was actively working on schemes to revive gas-based power plants and added that he expects some gas plants to become viable soon with some aid from the centre.
Recommended Articles
View All
Vodafone-Idea Saga — Three parents but none to love
Feb 6, 2023 IST6 Min(s) Read
World Cancer Day 2023: Early detection is crucial for reducing the global burden
Feb 4, 2023 IST5 Min(s) Read
World Cancer Day 2023: A way forward to better management of cancer this year!
Feb 4, 2023 IST6 Min(s) Read
Pakistan economy at alarming level as foreign reserves drop to $3.1 billion from $16.6 billion in a year
Feb 3, 2023 IST3 Min(s) Read
Bhalla spoke at length about how the budget is likely to impact the sector.
Talking about payment security mechanism, he said, “We were under pressure that we should have a tripartite system where the RBI can invoke the power and get the money out of states.”
“It’s time now that state governments get ready and decide that if they have promised subsidy for certain consumers then they better pass it on to the discoms (distribution companies),” he added.
“We have given time till August 1 and if there are issues with bankers and all, we are willing to discuss with them, we are willing to lay down further details as to how this can be operated upon. We do not want the discoms to suffer,” said Bhalla.
On tariffs front, Bhalla said, “We have achieved quite an improvement under Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme. The losses are hovering around 18 percent plus now. If I look at a larger picture, I need to focus on 10 bigger states where losses are still above 15 percent.”