Chennai, Rejecting the opposition’s allegations of mismanagement and high-cost power purchases, Tamil Nadu Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Tuesday defended the state government’s decision to call for short-term power tenders.
Briefing reporters at the State Secretariat, Nirmal Kumar said the state’s power demand had risen from 16,800 MW during the corresponding period last year to 21,700 MW, an increase of about 4,900 MW. He said NLC India had failed to supply around 1,800 to 1,850 MW from the central quota over the past month. Together, these shortfalls account for nearly 4,850 MW of missing power, forcing the government to step in with temporary measures to prevent unscheduled load shedding and power cuts across the state, the minister added. Clarifying the scope of the procurement, the minister for Energy Resources and Law said the short-term tender was strictly for the period from October 15 to October 31.
Blaming the previous DMK government for failing to enter into long-term power purchase contracts over the last five years, the minister said the state was initiating new long-term tenders for 4,000 to 5,000 MW, alongside five-year contracts for 1,500 to 2,000 MW, aiming to add 6,000 to 8,000 MW of capacity by 2028-29.
“While high-cost gas-based power remains an option in the exchange, the government is carefully monitoring bids to minimise additional financial impact while ensuring uninterrupted power supply during upcoming festival seasons like Deepavali and the Christmas to New Year period,” he said. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had earlier accused the TVK-led government of pushing the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation deeper into a financial crisis and “orchestrating” a massive corruption scandal in power procurement.
