The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has approached the State Electricity Regulatory Commission seeking its nod for a clutch of long-term power supply contracts totalling 465 MW.
The Commission had declined to approve the contracts in May this year citing irregularities following which the KSEB had appealed to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) .
While the case was pending before the APTEL, the State government, in a bid to overcome a power shortage, had decided to restore the contracts. The Cabinet had also decided to invoke Section 108 of the Electricity Act and recommend the Commission to re-examine its decision not to approve the contracts.
In this scenario, APTEL had recently directed the KSEB to withdraw its petition and approach the Commission instead.
Commission sources indicated that a public hearing may not be required on the KSEB plea as the State government itself has urged the Commission to restore the contracts in the best interests of the people. However, a final decision on this point is expected in the next few days.
