Punjab Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO's relentless efforts have borne fruit as the Union Power Minister has approved the setting up of three additional 800 MW power generation units in the state. During a conference of North Indian Power Ministers organized by the Government of India's Power Department today, S. Harbhajan Singh ETO raised this matter, while representing the state of Punjab.
The conference was chaired by Union Power Minister Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar, with participation from Power Ministers and officials from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi. S. Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded an increase in the existing power generation capacity of Ropar Thermal Plant, stating that while Punjab has its own coal mines, the Union Government's condition of not transporting coal beyond 1000 kilometers is creating difficulties in expanding the capacity of these thermal plants.
Accepting the demand, the Union Power Minister instructed officials to extend the coal transportation limit to more than 1500 kilometers and approved the establishment of two additional 800 MW power generation plants in Ropar. Besides this, approval was also granted for setting up a new 800 MW unit in Punjab. With this approval from the Union Power Minister, the path has been cleared for setting up 2400 MW thermal plants in Punjab.
Regarding the Union Government's target of 7000 MW solar power generation in the state, the Cabinet Minister said that due to high land costs in Punjab, achieving targets in this direction faces challenges. However, the Punjab Government is making efforts to establish these solar projects in neighbouring states from where power supply to Punjab would be convenient.
While strongly advocating Punjab's position on power-related matters, Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded prompt fulfillment of the 1000 MW power requested by the Punjab Government from the Union Government in view of the paddy season. He stressed that Punjab has always contributed significantly to securing the nation's food reserves; therefore, keeping the paddy season in mind, Punjab's demand should be fulfilled at the earliest so that farmers can receive timely power supply and irrigate their paddy crops. Currently, Punjab state is receiving 275 MW power from the central pool.
S. Harbhajan Singh ETO informed that all necessary approvals have been obtained for upgrading the capacity of two existing 100 MVA transformers at BBMB Jalandhar to 160 MVA and the expenditure for this work is to be borne by the Punjab Government. However, this matter is still not progressing, causing difficulties.
Thus, the pending action should be expedited so that the BBMB Jalandhar unit can be operated properly. The Power Minister also raised the issue of the Union Government's RDSS scheme, stating that under this scheme, the Union Government was supposed to provide a 60% share of a Rs.3600 crore project in a 60-40 ratio to strengthen Punjab's power supply infrastructure.
However, due to increased project costs and fixed central grants, the grant percentage has decreased from 60% to 40%, resulting in approximately Rs.300 crore loss to Punjab state. He demanded that the Union Government should approve this project at new rates considering this situation.
The Cabinet Minister reiterated that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is committed to providing the best power supply to the people of the state.