If AP Stops Power Supply, Telangana To Turn To 3 Other States & NTPC

Telangana State is preparing for the worst case scenario now as AP started using all power it is producing without sharing it with Telangana as per the provisions of AP ReOrganization Act. AP even stopped sharing information with central power utilities about the power it produces, on a daily basis. The reason the utilities are told by the AP Officials is that they have withdrawn from PPAs notwithstanding the objections from Union Energy Ministry and the Telangana Government. Now that they withdrawn, all power they produce of for intra-state purposes and so there is no need to share any info with other states or central utilities.

And to make matters worse, the AP government seems to be keen to invoke Section 11 of the Electricity Act that gives ultimate power to the government to force all power generators, both government and private, to supply power only to the AP government. This section was recently invoked by Karnataka to stop power supply to erstwhile Andhra Pradesh that led to legal wrangle between the two states then. Now, post bifurcation, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are heading for a similar confrontation.

“If the AP government invokes Section 11, then we will approach court as it would be violative of the AP Reoganisation Act which had laid down the ratio for power sharing between the two states. Even when Karnataka invoked this Section of the Electricity Act, we approached the high court and got our power share restored,” Telangana energy secretary Suresh Chanda told a national daily.

With AP’s intentions now clear that it will go ahead with it’s plan to cut out Telangana from the power-sharing plan as envisaged by AP ReOrg Act, Telangana State has prepared a contingency plan to handle the emergency that would arise if AP continues using all power for itself. Even as it’s energy secretary Suresh Chanda is in New Delhi to lobby with the Centre to follow the AP ReOrg Act, Telangana Govt. seem to have identified at least 3 States with have a power surplus that could be in a position to sell power to it. The Telangana officials are supposed to be in contact withe the States over the arrangements to buy power. The Govt. already spoke to NTPC to purchase 320-400 MW power from it’s Jajjar Plant in Haryana. While Telangana is preparing for the contingency, it is hoping the situation won’t arise as troubleshooting that situation would take up bulk of the time and energies of the small administration that is now in place in the newly-formed State.