Kerala power body restores 4 cost-effective external purchase deals | Onmanorama - Onmanorama
Kerala power body restores 4 cost-effective external purchase deals | Onmanorama
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) has restored four power agreements, enabling the purchase of 445 megawatts of electricity from sources outside the state. The agreements were quashed by ERC last May, citing procedural lapses to purchase electricity at the rate of Rs 4.29 per unit. The current nod for these pacts came after the state government’s petition to ERC for the agreement restoration.
As part of the deal, Jhabua Power has engaged in two agreements, one for 115 MW and another for 10 MW, with the state. Additionally, Jindal Power holds an agreement for 150 MW, while Jindal India Thermal Power has secured a 100 MW agreement. The ERC has instructed these entities to immediately deliver the power as well.
Among these, Jindal Power has already informed that it will continue to supply 150 MW in future. The ERC has further instructed the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to verify whether these power producers are adhering to its directive and to submit a report accordingly. Companies violating the directive may face blacklisting.
It was in October, that the Kerala cabinet urged ERC to review its decision to quash the power purchase agreements. The KSEB also made a similar plea in this regard.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29