Uttarakhand to sell power to states

State-owned Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL), which built the Maneri Bhali project, said it had received a proposal from Vinergy International Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based power trading company, which wants to buy 120 Mw for five months, starting June 1.

UJVNL has received the proposal from SP Verma, vice-president, Vinergy, which has been granted licence for inter-state power trading by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). The proposed rate is Rs 5 per unit. UJNVL generates 150 Mw surplus power.

UJVNL Chairman Yogendra Prasad said they had sent the proposal to the government for a final decision. At present Uttarakhand only banks power with Delhi, Punjab and Haryana and does not sell its power.

"In my opinion, it will be better to sell them at Rs 5/unit," said Prasad. UJVNL, which has the capacity to generate 1,300 Mw, is generating only 770 MW. It aims to increase its installed capacity to 1,880 Mw by 2012.

The company is now focusing on the 480-Mw Pala Maneri hydel project on the river Bhagirathi in Uttarakashi district. The project will be built at an investment of Rs 2,500 crore.