Private power plants seek Odisha govt’s help to cut water charges

Private power plants of Odisha have asked the state government to provide some relief regarding the charges of water consumption in electricity generation stations. Stating that the water charges in Odisha are higher than in other states, the Association of Power Producers (APP) said that the plants should be billed according to the actual water consumption and not as per the allocated volumes.

Generally, the power plants consume around 60% of the water allocated to them. A 1,050 megawatt (MW) power plant which is allocated 22 million cubic metres/year, consumes around 58% of the allocated quantity and ends up paying Rs 13.3 crore every year against the actual consumption worth Rs 7.7 crore, APP pointed. The industry body also objected against the state’s norm to increase water charges by 10% every year.