BENGALURU: Power shortage in the state is spiralling up along with the rising mercury and the shortage per day at present stands at 10 million units per day.
Bengaluru city’s power need alone is pegged around 40 to 42 million units per day, on an average. The city needs about 2,300 to 2,500 megawatts in the mornings and evenings and 1,300 to 1,600 megawatts at night.
Power Minister D.K. Shivakumar said in replay to a question in the Legislative Council on Tuesday that the government had signed short-term and medium-term power purchase agreements to meet the needs between March to June, 2015, estimated to cost Rs. 1,288 crore.
He said that the government was trying not to indulge in power cuts, except “in small measure when the necessity arises.”
Replying to a question on the pending Bidadi gas-based power project, he said that the Government was awaiting the verdict of the courts on a pending case. L&T and Tata Projects had gone to the court questioning the bidding process of KPTCL. The Bidadi project was envisaged to ensure 24-hour power supply to the city and help in particular IT and BT sectors.
The minister said that the government had, in lieu of that, finalised entered into a contract with BHEL to set up a Combined Cycle Power Plant at Yalahanka.
EOM
