PowerMin seeks feedback from cos to overcome sectoral issues

Asks advisory group to come up with solutions, next meeting of group on March 13

The Power Ministry today asked a panel comprising private and public electricity producers to come forward with solutions to the issues engulfing the sector and formulate measures to tackle them.

"We are looking at the national tariff policy, issue of hydro electric power, ensuring capacity addition, issue of coal and gas shortages and transmission and the way forward," Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters here.

The Advisory Group, formed by the Power Minister, includes industry captains like Anil Ambani, Chairman Reliance Power, Cyrus Mistry, Chairman Tata Group and Chanda Kochchar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank, PSU heads and independent power producers.

"We have outlined four areas where I would like the advisory group to form sub-groups and come up with solutions, the four topics have been outlined today, the group will now revert to me when they are ready with solutions on those topics," Scindia said.

The next meeting of the Advisory group with the Minister would be on March 13.

"The group will find solutions and come to us... March 13 they are coming to me with their deadlines and we will listen to their solutions. It is going to be piloted by them, not us," he added.

On the issue of standard bidding documents for the new ultra mega power projects, Scindia said, "We are discussing it."

Delay in finalisation of the new standard bidding documents or SBDs is further postponing the award of UMPPs in the country.

The government has so far awarded four UMPPs -- Mundra (Gujarat), which is being developed by Tata Power and three others Sasan (Madhya Pradesh), Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Tilaiya (Jharkhand) are being executed by Reliance Power.

The first round of bidding for the Bedabahal UMPP in Odisha took place in August 2011, in which 20 companies qualified. The next round of bidding is awaiting the new SBDs.

The Power Ministry also plans to award two more UMPPs -- Cheyyur (Tamil Nadu) and Sarguja (Chhattisgarh) -- as early as possible.