Default in coal purchase payment: Power tribunal tells PSPCL to pay ₹500 crore to TSPL

In another blow to Power State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) has ordered it to pay ₹472 crore with interest to Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) for default in payment for purchase of imported coal in 2017.

Earlier, the PSPCL lost a case of coal washing charges and it had to pay ₹3,200 crore to private thermal plants.

In the recent case, the PSPCL disallowed payment of alternative coal (imported coal) cost to be arranged by the TSPL to run the plant at full capacity during the 2017 (June to September) paddy season. Besides, the corporation also did not pay the deemed capacity charges from September 2016 to May 2017 and October 2017 onwards. The total default was around ₹478 crore.

Allowing the TSPL petition, the APTEL has asked the PSPCL to pay the said amount with interest, which will be around ₹500 crore.

In 2019, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) disallowed two appeals filed by the TSPL wherein it was said the as the linked coal provided by the PSPCL is not sufficient to run the plant at full capacity, the corporation should either pay cost of imported coal or capacity charges. Flowing this, the corporation approached the APTEL.