| NHPC earns around Rs 20,000 crores from sale of power generated in J&K | | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 21: National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) has earned more than Rs. 19,431.92 crores from the sale of power generated in Jammu & Kashmir to all the power utilities including the state government.
These revelations have come after the NHPC responded to an Right to Information (RTI) application moved by RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak. Ventakesh who is the Programme Coordinator, Access to Information Programme, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has sought information about the revenue accrued by NHPC.
The reply says that between 2001-2015 (14 years), by selling 20,841.65 MU of power to Jammu & Kashmir government alone, NHPC earned a little more than Rs. 41 billion (Rs. 4,129.58 crores to be exact). This includes the power generated by the hydel power plants situated at Chutak and Nimmo Bazgo and sold to the state government exclusively.
"According to the MoU, NHPC was required to sell 15% of power generated in the state to Jammu & Kashmir government. During the 14 years, it actually sold 19.7 percent of the power generated in Jammu & Kashmir. This figure does not include the 12 percent of power generated that NHPC is required to supply to Jammu & Kashmir free of charge under the terms of the MoU," said the RTI while quoting the RTI reply.
Ventakesh said that since 2001-02 up to March 1, 2016, the hydel projects across Jammu & Kashmir executed by NHPC have generated at least 1,15,636 MUs (million units). The RTI reply wrongly calculates the total as 1,15,637 MUs. If the individual figures are correct then the total has to be 115,636 MUs. If the total is correct, then one of the annual power generation figures provided by NHPC is wrong, he said.
"The MoU was signed by then Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and the then Minister for Power in the Central Government. The MoU transfers the Kishanganga, Uri-II, Bursar, Sewa-II, Pakal Dul, Nimmo Bazgo and Chutak hydel power projects to NHPC, in order to exploit the large power potential in the State," said the RTI while quoting the reply.
He while quoting the reply further said that the purpose of transfer is to enable NHPC to 'execute these projects over a period of 10 years', in phases so that their implementation would help the state in its overall development apart from 'meeting its winter peak requirements of electricity'.
"The installed capacity of these projects is said to be a little more than 2,000 megawatts. Forty (40) percent of the hydel power generated by NHPC projects across the country flows from Jammu & Kashmir.
According to the MoU, the Jammu & Kashmir government must get 12 percent of the power generated by these hydel projects free of cost. Another 15 percent of the unallocated quota of power from the central share would be provided to J&K at bus bar rates to meet winter peak requirements," said the RTI activist while quoting the reply.
The RTI activist said that these hydel projects were handed over to NHPC for funding, execution and operation under the MoU. He said the MoU requires working out of an acceptable methodology for handing over these projects to Jammu & Kashmir government. |
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