Power agreement was signed with SECI, no third party involved: Ex-Andhra CM Jagan

Amaravati, Nov 28: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed on Thursday that a power purchase agreement was signed between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the state government with no involvement of a third party.

Addressing a press conference here, he said he would file a defamation case against the vernacular media that has been spinning false and baseless stories damaging his reputation.

He said the agreement was between the Central government represented by SECI and the state government for procurement of power at the cheapest price of Rs 2.49 per unit. He clarified that there was no question of a third party and said dragging his name into a controversy and making wild allegations of bribery has no coherence.

"Two vernacular newspapers have been twisting the stories and publishing distorted versions and I will take legal recourse and file for Rs 100 crore damages if they do not publish an open apology within 48 hours," Jagan Mohan Reddy

Giving details of the power sale agreement, he said, SECI had offered to supply 9,000 MW of power to the state at Rs 2.49 per unit and waive inter-state transmission costs. As per the agreement, 3,000 MW was to be supplied in September 2024.

"This was a bumper offer as it was the cheapest price the state has ever had, and we accepted it after following the due procedures," he said.

The former Chief Minister said the state government received the letter from SECI on September 15, 2021 which was discussed in the Cabinet and sent to an expert committee, which gave its suggestions after 40 days of study. The matter was finalised in the Cabinet meeting in December. The same SECI offered power to other states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu but it was higher than Rs 2.49 which was offered to Andhra Pradesh.

"By accepting the offer the state will be saving Rs 4,400 crore and in 25 years the savings will work out to nearly Rs 1 lakh crore by the waiver of interstate transmission cost," he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who speaks of wealth creation had agreed to buy power at an average price of Rs 5.90 per unit, while YSRCP agreed to buy it for Rs 2.49 which will help the farmers in getting nine-hour free power and increase their standard of living.

Besides buying power at the cheapest rate, wealth creation has been done by developing thee ports and 17 medical colleges, he said.

"We have redefined welfare by erasing the middlemen system and crediting amount to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts through DBT, setting up RBKs to look after farmer welfare and brought in revolutionary changes in education system while Chandrababu Naidu's policies are regressive and is badly hitting all sections of people," he added.