Chandrapur power station

May 27: The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) is aiming at “power for all in the city by 2009, 24x7”, state industries and power minister Pradyut Bordoloi said here today.

So far, the ASEB had said the Chandrapur thermal power station would be revived. Unveiling the most vital component of the revival plan, Bordoloi said, “The power project is not only set for a rebirth, but also for doubling of its capacity in a phased manner to meet the requirements of the city at its present demand level.”

The minister said the production capacity of the Chandrapur project would be increased to 120MW in phases and the entire output of power would be used for Guwahati.

Echoing Bordoloi, top ASEB sources said power cuts in the city, barring technical faults, would be a thing of the past by 2009.

The minister, however, refused to disclose the deadline his department had set for itself.

“The minister will not set a deadline,” an ASEB official said. This, he conjectured, was because “there could be many a slip between the cup and the lip, resulting in delay in meeting the deadline.” He, however, reiterated that they were “determined to do it by 2009.”

The 60MW Chandrapur power plant, on the outskirts of the city, was run on low sulphur heavy stock (LSHS) oil. But when the price of the fuel soared, raising the cost of production per unit from Rs 2 to Rs 12, the plant was closed down in 1999.

Last year, consultants were engaged to look for an alternative fuel in a bid to revive the Chandrapur plant as the city’s power requirement had increased manifold.

The city, which is on a fast track to growth with its malls and multiplexes, requires about 120MW of power everyday at present.

However, the requirement of this gateway to the Northeast, considered to be one of the fastest growing cities in the country, is increasing with every passing day.

After consulting Tata Power, it was decided that the plant would be run on coal, Bordoloi said.

The minister said with a few technical changes, the plant would produce more power and at a lower cost. “Coal is easily available and at a much cheaper rate than the LSHS,” he added.

The process of calling tenders to upgrade the plant has been sent in motion.

Bordoloi said the government has prepared a special blueprint to lease out the power distribution system to franchisees.

One of the two power distribution circles in the city will be handed over to a franchisee so that there is competition.

“This is the only way to build competitiveness among ASEB workers,” he added.

The minister said major cities in the country had opted for privatisation in the power sector but Assam was choosing the middle path.

He said be it Delhi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai or Hyderabad, all the cities had outsourced certain activities in the power sector to private parties.

“But we are going only for franchisee and that, too, in a few areas on an experimental basis,” he added.

While talking about outsourcing and power distribution, the minister said the franchisee would control the management and look after customer care, operation, planning, meter reading, fault restoration and revenue collection.

“The entire infrastructure will be of the ASEB and the profit will be shared between the ASEB and the private party,” he added.

“It is not privatisation,” he said.