State-run NHPC is yet to receive dues of over Rs 1,000 crore from various power distribution companies, forcing the power producer to regulate supply at a time when the country is facing acute electricity shortage.
NHPC Chairman and Managing Director Mr A B L Srivastava said the health of discoms is a matter of concern for the company.
“Discoms are yet to pay more than Rs 1,000 crore for the electricity purchases from NHPC. These include discoms from Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh,” he told PTI in an interview.
According to Mr Srivastava, this amount has not yet been classified as non-performing assets.
Another NHPC official said that most of the dues were to come from discoms in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi’s two discoms - BSES Rajdhani and BSES Yamuna - are to pay around Rs 335 crore while UP discom has dues of about Rs 400 crore.
Dues from Rajasthan discom is around Rs 100 crore while that from Bihar is about Rs 50 crore, the official noted.
The poor financial health of power distribution companies (discoms) remains a major concern for the sector as many entities are unable to pay for purchase of electricity from power generators.
The scenario is aggravating woes in the power sector, that is already grappling with severe coal scarcity leading to power shortages.
Lower tariff realisation as well as mounting aggregate technical and commercial losses have been largely blamed for the precarious financial health of discoms.
The Shunglu panel, set up by the Planning Commission last year, estimated accumulated loss of discoms at Rs 82,000 crore during the 2006-10 period. The panel was set up to look into the financial health of discoms.
Finance Ministry, Power Ministry and the Planning Commission are working in co-ordination for restructuring the debt liabilities of discoms.
Meanwhile, NHPC plans to commission 1,200 MW of capacity during the current financial year. Presently, the company NHPC has an installed capacity of more than 5,100 MW.