Vedanta asks Odisha to clear Rs 700-cr power bill

"We want the Odisha government to pay us Rs 700 crore soon towards the power bill... I believe the payment will be made to us," Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal told reporters after meeting state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Stating that Sterlite, the company's sister concern, set up a thermal power plant at Jharsuguda by investing Rs 10,000 crore, Agarwal said the state government was being supplied 25 per cent of the total generation of electricity.

The capacity of Vedanta's power plant at Jharsuguda is 2,400 MW.

"Power cut in Odisha could be avoided due to supply of power from Jharsuguda plant," Agarwal said.

Gridco Corporation of Odisha, state's bulk power supplier, and Sterlite had entered into power purchase agreement on condition that the state government would purchase electricty at the rate of Rs 2.50 per unit.

"The arrear over the power purchase is now some hundred crore ... It is Rs 700 crore," Agarwal said.