Legacy dues to private gencos hit `49,000 crore

Receivables of private power plants from state-run power distribution companies (discoms) as late payment surcharges (LPS) and unpaid payments in lieu of various pass-through costs approved by regulators under the ‘change-n-law’ (CIL) clause have piled up to become as large as the unpaid bills for power supplied.

According to the government’s ‘Praapti’ portal, overdues — pending receivables of 45 days or more — of `49,560 crore were owed by discoms to private power plants at the end of May 2021. However, over and above this, there was also LPS of `24,722 crore and CIL dues of `24,000 crore, which remained unpaid to independent power producers.