TG Transco urges Irrigation department to clear dues of ₹33,650 crore

The irrigation department has huge outstanding debts of ₹33,653 crore to three power utilities till February-end this year, in the form of power charges payable to two distribution companies (Discoms), operation and maintenance charges payable to TG-Transco and capital works payable to the transmission utility for completed and ongoing works.

According to officials of Transmission Corporation of Telangana Ltd. (TG-Transco), the power charges payable by the Irrigation department to Discoms for drawing power to lift irrigation schemes/projects and other needs of the department stands at ₹ 27,027 crore. Dues are for the period between April 1, 2021 and February 28, 2026.

The total dues also cover operation and maintenance expenses of ₹ 1,745 crore and ₹ 4,881 crore towards completed and ongoing capital works, both to Transco.

The Chief Engineer (LI Schemes) of TG-Transco, in a recent letter addressed to the Chief Engineer (General) of the Irrigation department, brought to the notice of the former that the amount of at least ₹ 500 crore needs to be released immediately as the dues are very high, while invoices amounting to ₹ 813.37 crore, for which tokens have already been generated, are awaited approval/release by the Finance department.

CE said the release of such a small portion of the total dues was necessary to ensure continued support and partially alleviate the financial stress faced by energy utilities. He recalled the issue due to notification of ENC in his letter following a request made by CE (Irrigation) Warangal earlier this month seeking continuous power supply for operation of two pumps of Devannapeta pump house of Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme 24×7 (62 MW capacity together).

Additionally, Transco CE noted that power utilities emphasize the need for LI schemes to operate pump stations predominantly during daylight hours, given the availability of lower-cost solar power, as supply during peak night and early morning hours will cost significantly more.

Such an arrangement where LI pumping stations are scheduled to operate during daylight hours will help power utilities minimize dependence on costly supply and energy supply during peak hours. Transco requested the Irrigation department to re-examine the need for daytime power supply and schedule it for night hours operations to reduce stress on the system as well as financial burden.

The accumulation of large amounts of outstanding debts also seriously affects TG-Transco’s financial condition and operational sustainability. Transco CE requested the Irrigation department to submit a revised schedule for the operation of the Devannapeta pump station to maximize daytime energy use and minimize financial burden.