Modi offers power to grid, wants cheap gas

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has renewed his offer to supply 2,000 mega watts from his thriving generating stations to power-starved states, following the July 30-31 grid failures that led to the world’s biggest blackout.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has renewed his offer to supply 2,000 mega watts from his thriving generating stations to power-starved states, following the July 30-31 grid failures that led to the world’s biggest blackout.

Modi made the offer — with a few riders — when union ministers Sharad Pawar and Jairam Ramesh met him in Gandhinagar on Friday to discuss the drought situation, state officials said.

Modi, who has been making the offer for the last one year, wants the Centre to provide gas at cheaper rates and build high-capacity transmission links so that states can get power at less than half the price quoted in the short-term electricity market.

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Modi’s energy minister Saurabh Patel wrote two letters two years ago to then power minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, saying that due to inadequate inter-regional transmission corridors, “a very significant portion of the surplus power gets stranded".

Modi, who reformed Gujarat’s power sector after taking over 10 years ago, also said the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam must be increased to produce more electricity. Gujarat has a 15,906-MW capacity against its requirement of 12,000 MW. By the year-end, it plans to raise the capacity to 18,000 MW.