Says process of purchasing power at a lower price already initiated
When Mopa International airport begins operating, the State would be facing a deficit of 300 megawatt of electricity per day, and in order to meet this additional requirement, the State government has already initiated a process to find various ways to combat this deficit.
According to sources, talks are already underway with some companies from outside the State to buy electricity at a low rate.
Currently, Goa needs 600-650 megawatt of electricity and to meet a part of this requirement, the Central government provides the state 460 megawatt of electricity. The remaining electricity requirement is sourced from other states, according to a written reply presented in the last State Assembly.
When asked to comment on the situation, Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar told ‘The Goan’ that the State’s daily electricity requirement will rise to 900 megawatt after the Mopa airport begins to operate.
He also stated that the Mopa airport authority is yet to submit their proposal over their power electricity needs to the State government.
“However, it is but natural that once the airport begins operating, the surrounding region will also develop and eventually several establishments and projects will come up in the area. If that probability is to be taken into consideration, the airport authority may ask for 100 megawatt electricity supply per day,” he said.
“In addition to this, a rising footfall of tourists can also increase the demand for electricity in the State. Due to the rising footfall of tourists, customers from other areas in Goa may also come up with ‘more power’ demands, and by the time May comes, the total electricity demand in the State may go up to 900 megawatt,” he added.
It is to be recalled that some months ago the industrial organisations in the State had demanded extra power supply, and catering to this demand, the government had purchased electricity from the open market. The burden of paying for the extra power supply has been put on the industries who had demanded it, Dhavalikar informed.
However, owing to the growing need of power in the State, the government has begun the process of purchasing power at low rate from various companies outside Goa, he said.
