Surjewala accuses Haryana of triggering electricity crisis

Addressing a press conference, Saturday, Surjewala said, “People of the state are suffering because of heavy load shedding. Besides farmers, the industrial sector, especially in Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kundli, Faridabad, Gurugram and Manesar, has been hit hard because of lack of electricity supply. Haryana at present is facing its worst ever power crisis because of a big gap between the demand and supply.”

Interestingly, Haryana CM, Manohar Lal Khattar, had recently spoken to Gautam Adani on the prevailing power crisis in the state, and highlighted the dispute between Adani group and the state over power purchase agreements.

“Haryana is staring at a shortfall of 3,000 MW to 4,000 MW of power when the state touches its peak electricity demand of 12,000 MW between July and September. Why has the state not been getting the 1,424 MW of power from Adani Power Mundra and what action has been taken against the company for not supplying contracted power since 2021,” Surjewala said while questioning the lackadaisical approach of the state government to resolve the ongoing crisis.

The power purchase agreement between Adani Power and Haryana state was signed in 2008 and it deemed that power would be purchased at a rate of Rs 2.94 per unit.

Surjewala, on Saturday, also accused the Haryana government of buying short-term electricity at much higher rates and thereby burdening the state exchequer. “The Haryana government has decided to buy 500 MW of electricity for three years from two power supplying companies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at Rs 5.70 per unit Rs 5.75 per unit, respectively. Why is the state government not buying power at the cost of existing private power generators, including Adani Power?”Surjewala asked.

Drawing comparisons with of the present government with that of the erstwhile Congress regime in the state, Surjewala said, “Till 2014, Haryana was a power-surplus state. The Manohar Lal Khattar government has not added a single unit of power in the last eight years.”

Haryana’s Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, a few days ago, while admitting to a power shortage in the state, had assured that the situation would become normal in the coming days.

The Haryana government has also written to the union government seeking more coal allocation for state’s thermal plants.

“Haryana is in the middle of an emergent power crisis. People are suffering in the scorching heat with unprecedented power cuts of upto 12 hours or more every day. Farmers and the agriculture sector bleeds, even as industries across the state (in Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kundli, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Manesar) are on the verge of a shutdown. The projected power demand in May was 9,500 MW. This is expected to increase to 12,000 MW or more between July to September. Against this demand, Haryana is looking at a shortfall of 3000 MW to 4000 MW from June to September. The Adani Power Mundra, Gujarat, has been supplying zero power to Haryana since 2021,” Surjewala said.

“This is happening on account of a sinister nexus between the Khattar govenment and the private power generators. The state is facing a double-whammy. Firstly, Haryana is not getting its contracted supply of power at cheap rates. Secondly, Haryana has to buy power at double the rates to meet its shortfall. Teh state exchequer bleeds and those sitting in the citadels of power promote a new brand of crony capitalism,” Surjewala added.

Questioning the government’s move on buying power on higher rates, Surjewala said, “Haryana government has now decided to buy 500 MW of electricity for a period 3 years from 15 April, 2022 to 14 April, 2025 from MB Power, Madhya Pradesh at Rs. 5.70 per unit and from RKM Power, Chhattisgarh, at Rs. 5.75 per unit. Considering that the rate of Adani Power PPA Rs. 2.94 per unit, the state will be paying Rs. 2.81 per Unit extra. For 500 MW, the extra burden would be Rs. 140.50 crore daily or Rs. 51,282 crore annually.”