Our latest investigation is about power, the power producers and the people in power.
Maharashtra and Rajasthan, two states in which BJP is in power, had in quick succession issued tenders calling for electricity suppliers for a period of 25 years.
The Collective’s Shreegireesh Jalihal drilled down on the two tenders and the key conditions on which power producers are being selected. What he found was that two states have crafted strikingly similar bidding criteria that magically fit the Adani Group’s power generation capacities and ground plans.
One key criterion in both the tenders was that the producer should have the capability to supply power generated from both solar and thermal power plants together.
It is a new formula. In the past, a power producer was expected to deliver electricity either from a coal-fired or a renewable source.
In India, there are only a few who can produce electricity at scale from both sources. By writing the bid specification that only power producers who can generate mammoth thermal and solar capacity in tandem can compete, the state governments whittled down the competition for Adani Group.
The two tenders not only limited the competition to producers with twin-source capacity but also, they were magically in sync with Adani Group’s upcoming power production plans.
The tender specifications by both states -- where can the producer source thermal and solar electricity from, should it be from the state or outside the state, the wattage required from each source, should the plant be greenfield or an expansion -- magically dovetailed with Adani’s capacities and its plans.
The BJP-ruled state governments’ bonanza to Adani by crafting tenders aligned with the billionaire’s interest will further bolster the allegations that it was Gautam Adani’s close relation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that played a significant role in the tycoon’s swift rise.
Restricting competition in the power sector may in turn lead to higher electricity costs, stifle competition in the renewable sector and decrease the potential for lower energy prices.
Read in detail the investigation here: Tailored To Fit: Two Lucrative Power Tenders By BJP-Ruled States Favour Adani Group