Power Minister RK Singh has said that total outstanding dues owed by electricity distribution companies (discoms) to power producers stood at Rs 1 lakh crore at the end of February 2022. The outstanding amount of the discoms becomes overdue after 45 days of raising the bill for supply of power by gencos.
The minister explained that the government has made several interventions to improve financial and operational efficiencies of discoms linked to reform measures, including Liquidity Infusion Scheme (LIS); Additional Borrowing of 0.5 per cent of GSDP to states linked to power sector reforms; introducing additional prudential norms for lending by Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and REC based on the performance of utilities; and Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
Further, he said the government had also issued an order dated June 28, 2019, enforcing opening and maintaining of adequate Letter of Credit (LC) as payment security mechanism under power purchase agreement (PPA) by Distribution Licensees. The order mandates NLDC (National Load Dispatch Centre) and RLDC (regional load dispatch centres) to dispatch power only after it is intimated by GENCO and discom confirming the opening of LC.
Singh stated that these reform measures will improve the financial health of discoms, which will improve the liquidity situation leading to a reduction in outstanding dues to power generating companies (GENCOS). He also informed the House that as per projections of the Central Electricity Authority, the share of coal-based thermal power generation capacity in the year 2030 would be around 32 per cent in the energy mix as against the present share of 52 per cent.
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