In addition, the utility refuted the allegation that it decided to buy electricity from Adani at a higher cost than the solar energy available for ₹1.99 per unit in December 2020. Solar power is not available on the market for ₹1.99 per unit. In Kerala, the unit price is more than ₹3. Also, comparing wind energy prices with solar energy prices is not a correct approach, KSEB said. KSEB clarified on Friday after opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the LDF government of awarding the power purchase agreement to the Adani Group. According to KSEB, SECI supplies electricity through companies selected through a tariff-based tendering process. SECI had selected three companies: Adani Green Energy (75 MW), Senatris Wind Energy (125 MW) and Spring Wind Energy (100 MW). Adani Green Energy had started supplying 25 MW in March this year. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has denied allegations that it caused financial losses to the Treasury by entering into a power purchase agreement with Adani Green Energy. The power purchase agreement was signed in the presence of Electricity Minister M.M.
Mani, Electricity Department Secretary B. Ashok and KSEB Chairman and CEO N.S. Pillai. SECI follows the prescribed tendering procedures to purchase electricity from companies at the lowest rates. Apart from accepting the allowance for Kerala, KSEB has not entered into any agreements with private companies in this regard, he said. The company, which is supplied by the local body with 330 tons of municipal waste per day (TPD), is responsible for producing 47 million units (MU) of electricity. Commissioning of the planned plant is expected to take place within 18 months of the start of construction. The KSEB also claimed that there are only long-term agreements for renewable energy contracts in the country.
Corruption was claimed in KSEB`s 25-year deal. KSEB denied in a statement on Friday that it had signed such a pact with Adani Green Energy. In fact, in June 2019 and September 2019, agreements were signed with the central state-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for the purchase of wind power in the amount of 200 MW and 100 MW respectively. The power purchase agreements were published on KSEB`s website, he said. The prices of the agreements signed by KSEB in 2019 were also the lowest among the agreements signed in the last decade, he said. The maximum price per unit under the June 2019 agreement was ₹2.83, while that of the September 2019 pact was ₹₹2.80. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) on Tuesday signed a power purchase agreement with Kochi-based GJ Eco Power Pvt to launch the government`s ambitious project to build waste-to-energy (WtE) plants across the state. Ltd., the agency implementing the project in the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant.
Speaking to media representatives, Mani said the electricity produced by the plant would be purchased at a higher rate than usual, but the additional financial burden would not be passed on to domestic consumers. He added that KSEB had decided to purchase all the electricity produced by similar WtE plants that would be built in the future at the rates set by the Regulatory Commission. Under the terms of the agreement, KSEB will purchase the electricity produced by the 9.76 MW WtE plant for a period of 20 years from the date of commercial operation at a price of ₹6.17 per unit. The tariff has been approved by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission. According to James Adai, director of GJ Eco Power Pvt. Ltd., the plant will be built on a 20-hectare site reserved for the project. The KSEB would bear the additional expenses in the context of maintaining its social commitment by promoting such projects that provide an effective solution to the problems accumulated in the State. The company had been hired by Kochi Corporation to implement the state`s first WtE project as part of a public-private partnership. When treating waste, the moisture content is reduced thanks to biodrying technology.
The process will also use gasification technology, which could use a minimal amount of oxygen in the treatment process and reduce the need for discharge space. .