The Kerala Government has requested the Centre to allot additional power from its pool at a reduced rate, the State Power Minister, Mr Aryadan Muhammed, said today.
The State had to drop a few hydel projects on account of environment reasons and the Centre had to compensate it for its effort to protect biodiversity by allotting additional power at a reduced rate, he told a meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club here.
He said demand for power in State would reach about 6,000 MW in another 10 years, while generation from both hydel and small thermal plants would remain at about 2,300 MW.
He ruled out any hike in power tariff immediately.
The Kerala State Electricity Board suffered a loss of Rs 75 crore daily on account of demand—supply shortage, he said.
He said the Centre had accepted in principle the state's request to extend Rajiv Gandhi Gramena Vaidyuthi Yojana (RGGVY) scheme under which free power connections are provided across the state at an additional outlay of Rs 100 crore.
The scheme was being implemented in six districts in the Malabar region and in Idukki district, he said.
Stating that setting up of mega power projects was not feasible in the State due to resistance by people against displacement from their land, Mr Muhammed said the government planned to go in for small-medium power projects.