The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State looks to sugar units to tide over power crisis

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Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State looks to sugar units to tide over power crisis

Special Correspondent

Efforts on to buy power from them

Co-generation units are selling power to other States now
Eshwarappa to meet Chidambaram today on Kudigi project

BANGALORE: The State Government is making efforts to buy an additional 200 MW to 250 MW of power from the co-generation units of sugar factories to tide over the power shortage.

According to Energy Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, a clear picture on whether these sugar factories, which are selling power to other States, will agree to the request will emerge in about a week.

Mr. Eshwarappa told presspersons here on Monday that he had held two rounds of discussion in this regard with such sugar factories. A third meeting would be held this week.

“We are trying to convince these co-generation units to understand that they too have a role in mitigating the State’s power crisis. They can do this by supplying the power generated by them to their own State instead of giving it to others,” he observed.

Delhi visit

Mr. Eshwarappa said he would lead a delegation of top-ranking officials of his department to Delhi on Tuesday to meet Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to seek the benefits of ultra mega power project to the proposed thermal power project at Kudigi in Bijapur district.

The Sate would also request the Centre, which has given clearance for a generation capacity of only 2,000 MW, to double the capacity.

He would also hold consultations with the officials concerned on the steps to be taken to set up a new 2,000 MW thermal power project in the State in collaboration with the National Thermal Power Corporation.

Union Minister of State for Power and Commerce Jairam Ramesh had agreed in principle to the State’s request for clearing the above proposal to be implemented as a joint venture project.

However, formalities had to be completed now so that the project work actually took off, he noted.

The Minister said the State Government was yet to take a decision on the suggestion of Mr. Jairam Ramesh that Karnataka and Tamil Nadu should hold consultations regarding the commencement of four hydel power projects in the Cauvery river basin which were in limbo due to lack of consensus between the two States.

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