Kerala Chief Minister's power purchase claims face scrutiny over KSEB documents
Documents from the Kerala State Electricity Board suggest the Himachal Pradesh power offer was more suitable for peak-hour requirements than the GNA Energy proposal.
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan claimed that purchasing power from Himachal Pradesh would have caused an additional financial liability of ₹2,232 crore, according to The Hindu. Satheesan stated that the government chose to purchase via GNA Energy OTA instead of the Himachal Pradesh offer because GNA promised more supply during peak hours from 6 p.m. to midnight.
However, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) documents indicate that the Chief Engineer (Commercial and Tariff) had informed the then Chairperson and Managing Director M.G. Rajamanickam that the Himachal Pradesh arrangement was more suitable for meeting critical peak-hour requirements. The Himachal Pradesh offer, made via PTC India Ltd, promised higher capacity during evening peak hours and lower aggregate expenditure for the period from November 2026 to March 2027.
The KSEB documents show the Himachal Pradesh government offered 884.2 million units (mu) at ₹12.50 per unit, while GNA offered 1,812 mu at ₹8.63 per unit. For the November 2026 to March 2027 period, the net financial outflow for GNA would have been ₹1,396.60 crore, compared to ₹1,105.20 crore for the Himachal Pradesh case.
Opting for the GNA supply would also entail an additional peak-hour shortage of 364 MW to 780 MW between November 2026 and March 2027. The KSEB would have received 500 MW average peak evening capacity from GNA, but 1,031 MW from Himachal Pradesh.
The Himachal Pradesh supply would have continued into April and May 2027, when the state needs additional supplies most. The KSEB has not yet sought prior approval from the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission for the proposed purchase.