Haryana discoms prepare a Rs 5,000-cr capital expenditure plan...

 

The Hayana discoms (Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam) have prepared a capex (capital expenditure) plan of Rs 5,000 crore for the next three years to strengthen power distribution system in the state, so as to ensure more power with greater reliability to meet the increasing demand.

Devender Singh, principal secretary (power) and chairman, Haryana Power Utilities, said here on Tuesday that power transmission and distribution systems have been planned to match the increase in demand. The discoms have planned a capex of about Rs 5,000 crore over the next three to four years, for which integrated planning has already been initiated.

Singh said that to meet the increasing demand of power in the state, the power utilities are likely to make arrangements for an installed generating capacity of 18,000 to 19,000 MW by 2016. The total installed power generation capacity (from all sources, including state's own projects and long term arrangements from other sources) in Haryana has increased to over 10,000 MW. Presently, the availability is more than the demand.

He said that the power transmission and distribution system was also being strengthened accordingly. The utilities would construct 146 new sub-stations of various levels and augment capacity of 182 existing sub-stations in the next three years at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore, so as to match the capacity of the transmission system in accordance with the increasing availability of power in the state. This plan is besides the capex plan to strengthen the distribution system. During the current financial year, 32 new sub-stations have already been commissioned and capacity of 47 existing sub-stations has been augmented.

He said that the Centre had approved power development schemes of Rs 1,487 crore for 36 towns in Haryana under its Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP).

The RAPDRP would be implemented in two parts. Under the first part, the power distribution system would be made information technology (IT) based while under the second part, the power distribution system in towns would be strengthened and renovated.

Under the first part of this prestigious programme, the nigams plan to give a strong information technology base to the electricity distribution system through consumer indexing, asset mapping, metering of feeders and distribution transformers, automatic data logging, feeder segregation, ring fencing, information technology applications and the establishment of base line data system.

While the second part of RAPDRP covers renovation, modernisation and strengthening of 11 kV level by adding distribution transformers, re-conductoring of lines at 11KV level and below, feeder segregation or bifurcation, load balancing and installation of capacitor banks, mobile service centers and others.

Source: Business Standard

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HERC slaps Rs 4 lakh penalty on 2 discoms, MDs...

 

In an exemplary move, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on two power distribution companies (discoms) and their managing directors (MDs) for allegedly misguiding it in their annual revenue report (ARR) for 2010-11. The proceedings, conducted on Thursday, have also put a scanner on the short term purchase (STP) of the two discoms.

The two-member commission comprising Tej Singh Tewatia and Rohtash Kumar announced the decision during a public hearing called by HERC to finalise the ARR submitted by Uttari Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN). The proceedings were conducted at the commission's office in sector 4 of Panchkula, which saw a marathon session of arguments by Anurag Aggarwal and Vijayander Singh, the MDs of UHBVN and DHBVN respectively. Nevertheless, the duo — senior IAS officers — was categorically directed to pay the fine from their personal accounts.

The hearing began with the MDs presenting their ARR and inviting the ire of Tewatia, who said both the companies have added loses of around Rs 7,634 crore for 2008-09 and 2009-10 in the report prepared for year 2010-11. "With this, they have tried to misguide the commission. As far as short term purchases are concerned, the electricity was bought at the rate of Rs 10 per unit at a time when it was easily available for Rs 2.50 per unit. It really calls for a probe. Secondly, this cannot be added as fuel surcharge account (FSA), as mentioned in ARR," he said. He went to the extent of claiming that he suspected goof-ups in deals which were very much within the knowledge of the chief minister and the power minister.

This was besides various concessions announced by the government's move offering certain relaxations to fisheries, horticulture and women consumers announced by Haryana government, attracted the commission's ire.

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