Focus on power exchange instead of power purchase, Energy Department told, as it gears up for summer demand

Energy Minister K.J. George on Friday instructed officials to focus on power exchange instead of power purchase during the upcoming summer season to ensure quality power supply across the State.

Energy Minister K.J. George on Friday instructed officials to focus on power exchange instead of power purchase during the upcoming summer season to ensure quality power supply across the State.

“Immediate discussions must be initiated with neighbouring states to finalise agreements for this purpose. Additionally, given the high costs associated with short-term electricity procurement, priority should be given to securing long-term contracts at lower rates. This approach will allow for the sale of excess electricity at higher rates during peak hours, effectively reducing the financial burden,” he said after holding a meeting with officials from Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL), Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL), and Power Company of Karnataka Ltd. (PCKL) on Friday. The meeting focused on electricity generation, procurement, and transmission.

The Minister also said that appropriate measures should be taken to generate more power to ensure that there is no gap between demand and supply. “With the increase in solar power generation, electricity should be supplied to agricultural pump sets during the daytime. Thermal and hydropower plants should focus on generating electricity for night-time use as much as possible. This strategy will help ensure no gap between demand and supply,” he said.

While KPCL’s thermal plants had achieved the record average generation of 3,600 Megwatts (MW), Mr. George said that this summer that record should be surpassed.

Addressing the issue of some plants which have been shut down in Raichur, Yermarus, and Ballari, Mr. George said, “Establish a deadline to address the annual maintenance and minor technical issues of the plants. Ensure that all units, except one unit of RTPS, are prepared for full-scale power generation by the end of February 2025.”

Meanwhile, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has decided to cut off power supply to illegal buildings as and when it receives an intimation from the civic bodies like Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), municipal corporations or gram panchayats. 

This move follows the collapse of the unde-construction building in Babusapalya near Hennur on October 22, 2024, killing nine people. “The Lokayukta, which had taken suo-moto cognisance of the case, asked why we do not take action against illegal constructions. We had to clarify that the regulations do not allow us to do so,” said a source in Bescom.