Bengaluru: In a sign that power-starved Karnataka was willing to look beyond party lines, and do business with a known acolyte of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adani Power Limited (APL) Managing Director Rajesh Adani met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Monday, alongside state power minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Adani Power acquired Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) from Hyderabad based power company Lanco Infratech for Rs 6,300 crore in April 2015. Rajesh Adani, emerged from a closed door meeting with the CM, his first since he took over the Udupi facility, and said that the plant has already started generating power with full capacity of 1200-MW.
“The integration process has already been completed, we will reach total generation capacity and there is no problem over supply of coal”, Mr Adani said.
A second meeting will be held with the state department of Energy to finalise details of the power purchase, raising hopes that Karnataka would be power self-sufficient in two years. The chief minister and Mr Adani are said to have discussed the rehabilitation of the fishing village of Nadikuru, Udupi district where long-running protests by fishermen have affected UPCL from optimum functioning.
The UPCL which was working at little over half its capacity is now generating 90 per cent power. Karnataka is the sole purchaser of power from UPCL. The KERC is the regulatory authority on the deal, Mr. Shivakumar said. UPCL is a 1200 power plant company that uses imported coal. With the acquisition of UPCL, the APL has increased its capacity of generation to 10,440 MW.
