Electricity shortage in Odisha! Power banking agreement with Madhya Pradesh exposes govt!

Frequent power outages across the state amid sweltering heat have completely exposed the Odisha government’s tall claims of ‘power surplus state’. To substantiate the fact further, reports indicate that the power failures were not due to ‘power trips’ or overloading but could very well be due to a power shortage.

Earlier, Odisha Energy Minister Pratap Deb had claimed that there were no power cuts, but the blackouts were caused by power trips.

“There is no shortage of power supply in Odisha. We cannot call it a power cut. The power gets tripped due to overloading,” the Minister had said.

However, the hollow claims of the Odisha government were exposed after state-owned bulk power supplier Grid Corporation of Odisha (Gridco) signed an MoU with Madhya Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (MPPCL) to procure up to 350 MW of power during the month of April and July this year.

As per sources, Odisha has entered into a power banking agreement with MPPCL to procure 100 MW of power with an option to purchase up to 350MW anytime during April and July to meet any shortfall as and when required.

Power banking is a swapping agreement during deficit situations. It is termed as a cashless transaction wherein no tariff needs to be paid for energy availed or supplied. The amount of energy taken from MP will be returned ideally during its hour of need within the same financial year.

“Our state suffered power generation failure following the outage of one 800MW unit of NTPC’s Darlipali Super Thermal Power Station (STPS) in Sundargarh district. So, we had to enter into a banking agreement with Madhya Pradesh. But, there is no shortage of power in the state this year. I agree there was a power crunch last year due to coal shortage,” said Trilochan Pradhan, MD, Gridco.

Meanwhile, opposition parties Congress and BJP slammed the Odisha government for frequent power cuts and came down heavily on the Energy minister for his irresponsible statements.

“We have so much energy that we provide it to other states. But, then why are the people of our own state made to suffer? So, Congress will stage demonstrations in front of electricity offices across the state on June 27,” said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President, Sarat Pattanayak.

Similarly, BJP General Secretary, Prithviraj Harichandan said, “This pact has completely exposed Odisha government’s tall claims of surplus energy in the state. It is shameful that the government is lying to the people of Odisha. It is clear that the pact is made to buy energy from MP to meet the power demand during peak hours.”

On the other hand, ruling BJD leader Rajkishore Das said, “There is a delay in Monsoon, and the heat wave is unbearable. So, Odisha government has signed the agreement to make sure there is no shortage in coming days.”