In a transparent indication that the present energy disaster can be the making of electrical energy distribution firms, the excellent dues of discoms to energy producers have risen once more in Might this yr each sequentially and year-on-year foundation.
In the course of the present spate of energy disaster triggered by sudden enhance in demand for energy and bottlenecks in gasoline provides, a number of discoms have additionally lowered buy of pricey energy based mostly on blended imported coal from gencos and resorted to load sheddings.
The financially distressed discoms have additionally slowed clearing dues excellent to gencos leading to decrease provides.
As per portal PRAAPTI (Fee Ratification And Evaluation in Energy procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of mills), whole excellent dues of electrical energy distribution firms to energy producers rose by 4.04 per cent year-on-year to ₹1,21,765 crore in Might 2022, as towards dues of ₹1,17,026 crore in Might 2021. Even on month-on-month foundation, whole dues of discoms to gencos in Might 2022 elevated from ₹1,20,954 crore in April 2022. In Might 2022, the full overdue quantity, which was not cleared even after 45 days of a grace interval provided by mills, stood at ₹1,06,902 crore as towards ₹94,354 crore in the identical month a yr in the past. The overdue quantity stood at ₹1,06,071 crore in April 2022.
As per norm, discoms get a 45-day window from gencos to clear their dues for electrical energy provided by them. After this era, excellent dues develop into overdue and mills cost curiosity on the full quantity that’s left to be paid. The rise in discoms dues can be on account of an increase in energy demand within the nation that has pushed them to purchase extra energy at costly charges to fulfill the necessities. The utmost energy demand met on Saturday stood at 199.7 GW, growing a bit from 191 GW a couple of days earlier on the again of rising temperatures once more within the nation as predicted by the IMD. This has additionally enhance peak scarcity within the nation from beneath 1GW to round 1.7 GW on Saturday. In Might 2020, the federal government had introduced a ₹90,000-crore liquidity infusion for discoms whereby they acquired loans at economical fee from Energy Finance Company (PFC) and REC Ltd. to clear their dues to gencos. This liquidity infusion bundle was elevated to ₹1.2 lakh crore and additional to ₹1.35 lakh crore.
In line with the portal, discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu are the most important culprits when it comes to delaying funds to gencos. Overdues of impartial energy producers amounted to 55.86 per cent of the full overdue of ₹1,06,902 crore of discoms. The proportion of central PSU gencos within the overdue was 22.35 per cent.
Among the many central public sector gencos, NTPC alone has an overdue quantity of ₹5,072.82 crore, adopted by NPCIL – Kundankulam Nuclear Energy Plant at ₹3,419.78 crore and DVC at ₹3,398.57 crore in Might 2022. Amongst personal mills, discoms owe the very best overdue quantity of ₹25,284.67 crore to Adani Energy, adopted by KSK Mahanadi Energy Firm Ltd at ₹5,324.32 crore and Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Energy Technology Firm at ₹5,308.29 crore. The overdue of renewable power producers stood at ₹20,127.16 crore in Might 2022.
Supply: Live Mint