All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) warned that thermal power plants generating 2,500 megawatt in the state would be closed down if energy sector proposals of Union budget are implemented. AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to urgently intervene in the matter and save the state from an ‘unprecedented’ power crisis.
Dubey said that the Union budget proposed to shut down thermal units generating flue gas beyond environmental safety norms and to utilise their land for other purposes.
Flue gas is the substance exiting via a flue (a pipe to remove exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace or steam generator). In general terms, flue gas refers to as the exhaust gas produced at power plants.
The AIPEF head claimed that going by budgetary proposals, three 210 mw units each of Anpara A thermal plant, two 500 mw units each of Anpara B, five 200 mw units each of Obra; two 110 mw units each of Parichha, and two 110 mw units each of Harduaganj thermal power plants totaling nearly 2,500 mw would have to be shut down completely.
“In fact, all state-run thermal units in UP with installed capacity of roughly 4,000 mw will be closed if action was taken conforming to proposals of the budget,” he said.
Dubey recalled that last year’s budget had mentioned a proposal to equip such thermal plants with retrofitted technologies like fuel gas desulfurisation system (FGDS) and selective catalytic reducer (SCR) to curb environmental pollution.
“The sudden decision to shut these stations is unfortunate,” he said. Dubey warned that the budget proposals would create a severe energy crisis in the state following prospective closure of the state-run power stations. He also criticised the Centre’s proposal to utilise land of such thermal plants by changing land use, maintaining that it was against the statute as the land was acquired from farmers for setting up power plants.
Recently, the AIPEF urged the Modi government to take them into confidence on any prospective legislation aimed at ‘privatisation’ of power supply during the Budget session of Parliament.
AIPEF, which represents nearly 1.5 million public sector power employees, wrote to Union Power Minister RK Singh apprehending that the Centre was planning to amend Electricity Act, 2003 to introduce multiple supply licencees or franchisees by segregating carriage and content in the distribution system.
The Federation urged the Union minister to give time for holding broad discussions before declaring any amendments or changes in Electricity Act, 2003.