Service contract row between Ratnagiri power, GE resloved

The contentious issue of service contract between Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd (RGPPL) and General Electric (GE) has been resolved with GE agreeing to give guarantees on repairs and maintenance undertaken by it, according to RGPPL Director Ajoy Mehta.

While GE was insisting on a non-disclosure agreement before the service contract was inked, the central government-owned RGPPL was demanding guarantee from GE on maintenance work, Mehta told reporters.

While RGPPL agreed to sign the non-disclosure agreement with regards to the fee and other charges to be given to GE for the service contract, GE agreed to give guarantees on the work it would do, he said.

However, the only issue to be resolved was the fee and charges to be paid to GE for the maintenance contract, he added.

Energy Minister Sunil Tatkare said the government had taken measures to reduce daily power cuts in various parts of the state. Outages will be reduced by one hour in rural areas, which have been facing power cuts of up to 12 hours, while for urban and semi-urban areas, which have been facing power cuts from three to seven hours, the duration of the cuts will be reduced by 30 minutes.

RGPPL’s Dabhol plant would start generating an additional 600 Mw by the end of next month and the plant would be completely operational by June, he said.