Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka questioned officials about the reasons for the delay in
constructing the Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS). He reviewed the progress in constructing the Yadadri Power Plant with BHEL officials along with Energy Secretary SAM Rizvi at the Secretariat on Friday.“It is said that an agreement was signed with BHEL on June 6, 2015, for constructing the Yadadri Thermal Power Station at an estimated cost of Rs 34,500 crore, and a work order was issued in October 2017. According to this agreement, why was the work not completed by 2021? Why hasn’t power generation started?” Bhatti asked.
Explaining the reasons for the delay BHEL officials said that their bills were not paid by the BRS government. Problems regarding environmental clearances are another reason, they said.
“What is the value of the work entrusted to BHEL out of the Rs 34,500 crore?” asked the minister. BHEL officials said that works worth Rs 20,444 crore were entrusted to BHEL and the remaining was taken up by Genco and other companies.
Out of the work given to BHEL, work worth Rs 15,860 crore has been completed and Rs 14,400 crore has been paid. It was explained that bills worth Rs 1,167 crore are pending.
They said that the BRS government did not make payments in instalments. 91 per cent of the payment was made in March 2023. They explained that due to non-payment they were not able to make payments to sub-contractors, due to which the work could not be done smoothly.
Through a PowerPoint presentation, they informed that if environmental clearances are ready by April 2024, they will complete two units by September 2024, two more units
by December 2024 and the remaining unit by May 2025.
BHEL Chairman and Managing Director Koppu Sada Sivamurthy, Director Tajinder Gupta and others attended the meeting. According to the agreement, two units were to be completed by October 2020, three more units by October 2021 and 4,000 MW of electricity should have been generated. Bhatti asked why the work was handed over to BHEL through nomination instead of inviting competitive tenders. The Energy Department Secretary was
asked to submit a comprehensive report with estimates by Genco for the construction of
the Yadadri Power Station, the rate quoted by BHEL, the negotiations with BHEL regarding prices and the value of the agreement.
