The Hindu Business Line : Appellate tribunal for electricity soon

THE Union Government is in the process of appointing members to an Electricity Appellate Tribunal for power sector disputes, said a senior Power Ministry official.

"The Government has notified the appellate tribunal and appointment of members is currently under way. The tribunal should be set up very soon," Mr Ajay Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power, said hereMr Shankar told industry representatives gathered at a conference on captive power organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) that the Government would soon release its electricity policy. He was answering queries regarding certain ambiguities in current regulations. Industry representatives also wanted clarifications regarding difference in duty structures prevalent in States and their implementation of provisions of the Electricity Act 2003.

"The Government plans to release the electricity policy followed by the rural electricity policy and then the national tariff policy," Mr Shankar said. He, however, declined to commit when these guidelines will be released.

Earlier, Mr Mohan Gurunath, Vice-President, Tata Power, said after the new Electricity Act freed the setting up of captive generation and transmission, his company had initiated talks with several industrial houses to set up captive power plants with dedicated distribution lines.

Mr Gurunath added that TPC has surplus power of 200-300 MW, which can be sold to the Maharashtra State Electricity Board.

Mr Sanjay Bhatia, Secretary, MSEB, said the State's power deficit had gone up to 2,400 MW and could climb up to 8,000 MW in five years if new capacity is not added. It would require an investment of about Rs 36,000 crore in generation and almost as much to set up transmission and distribution infrastructure to meet that demand.