Gujarat sells Rs745 crore power to other states in 4 months

Amid lack of demand and resultant cut in power generation, the state sold power worth a staggering Rs745 crore in the first four months of the current financial year, the state assembly was informed on Monday.

In a written reply, state energy minister Saurabh Patel said that the state had sold 2,053 million units (MUs) of power at an average price of Rs3.63 per unit between April and July this year to other states.

"Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Karnataka were the states that bought power from Gujarat. The state also sold surplus power on The Indian Energy Exchange and Power Exchange of India," Patel said.

Gujarat supplied 605 million units to Tamil Nadu at an average price of Rs4.25 per unit. It sold 408 MUs to UP for Rs4.37 a unit, and 22 MUs to Karnataka at an average price of Rs3.35 per unit.

The state traded 657 MUs of power on Indian Energy Exchange at an average price of Rs2.98 and a further 360 MUs on Power Exchange of India at Rs2.94 per unit, he said.

Even as power tariffs have gone up in the state, the figures provided by the government show that the price at which power is sold to other states has fallen significantly in the last couple of years.

From an average price of Rs5.37 per unit in 2009-10, the price fell to Rs3.88 a unit in 2010-11 and further to Rs3.63 in the current year. The state had sold power worth Rs938 crore in 2009-10 and worth Rs1,628 crore in 2010-11.

The figures show that a total of 17,493 MUs of power were generated in the state between April and July.