Thiruvananthapuram – The action of the Electricity Board, which violated the central norms and invited tenders for purchase of wind power, has gone awry due to the intervention of the Regulatory Commission. After making a decision on the tender, the board went to the commission to ask for permission. The Regulatory Commission has clarified in its order that serious changes in central norms cannot be accepted.
The decision on this was made between April and May last. The board invited tenders to buy 100 MW of wind energy, but finally decided to buy 35 MW from 4 companies. Prior approval should be obtained from the Regulatory Commission for any deviation in the tender conditions from the central norms. The company that offered electricity at the lowest price in the tender was Rs 3.96 per unit.
Companies that promised to provide electricity at Rs 4.09 came second. But the board decided to buy electricity from the company that demanded the lowest price at Rs 3.96 and from other companies at Rs 4.09. With this, electricity is bought at two prices in one tender. Letters of Award were also given to these companies. The commission said this cannot be accepted. Meanwhile, the company that offered the lowest amount of 3.96 withdrew from the scene. The company was banned by the regulatory commission.
