Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

World

VIT donates ₹1 crore to A.P. Chief Minister Relief Fund towards cyclone relief

VIT donates ₹1 crore to A.P. Chief Minister Relief Fund towards cyclone relief

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's assertion that purchasing power from Himachal Pradesh would have led to an additional financial burden of ₹2,232 crore has been questioned. Despite Satheesan's claim at a post-Cabinet briefing that the government had chosen GNA Energy OTA over the Himachal Pradesh offer, KSEB documents suggest the opposite.

The Chief Engineer's testimony to M.G. Rajamanickam revealed that the Himachal Pradesh arrangement was deemed "more suitable" for meeting KSEB's peak-hour requirements. Additionally, the Himachal Pradesh offer offered higher capacity during evening peak hours and came with a lower total expenditure for the November 2026 to March 2027 period.

However, Satheesan stated that GNA promised to supply more during peak hours from 6 p.m. to midnight. The Himachal Pradesh offer, priced at ₹14.50 per unit, provided 843 million units (mu) up to March 2027, while GNA Energy quoted two prices of ₹8.63 and ₹8.90 per unit. GNA Energy offered to supply 1,812 mu, with a peak-time supply of 453 mu, while Himachal Pradesh offered 884.2 mu at ₹12.50 per unit.

Procurement from GNA would result in an additional liability of ₹2.6 per unit, while Himachal Pradesh's offer would incur ₹8.5 per unit. Despite this, opting for GNA's supply would lead to a peak-hour shortage ranging from 364 MW to 780 MW, resulting in a combined expenditure of ₹2,008.69 crore. The Himachal Pradesh offer provided 1,031 MW in average peak evening capacity, compared to GNA's 500 MW, and would have continued into April and May 2027 when Kerala needed supplies the most.

The KSEB has not sought prior approval from the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission for the proposed power purchase, which has now sparked controversy.

Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

This story

This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.

Read the original at thehindu.com →

More in World

Russell Brand: The rise and fall of a TV star

Following Russell Brand's conviction for rape and sexual assault, Evelyn O'Rourke looks back at his rise to fame and the role television played in both his career and the exposure of allegations against him.

More from Thursday 5 November →