Maharashtra: Sugar mills now want state govt to buy power at higher rates

After seeking government guarantees worth Rs 2,200 crore, Maharashtra’s sugar cooperatives are now pushing for an upward revision in prices of electricity they produce.

Just as the average rate of purchase of power from cogeneration plants has reached Rs 3.56 per unit, Maharashtra Rajya Sahakar Sakhar Karkhana Sangh Limited — the apex federation of all cooperative sugar mills in the state — is now seeking a fixed price of Rs 5.50 per unit from the government. While the average cost of power purchased by the state-run power discom, MahaVitaran, for all renewable energy sources is Rs 3.85 per unit, senior sources confirmed the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government has indicated its readiness to bear the additional cost.