‘Power cos eyeing Rs 1.35 lakh cr default’

Banking sector has an exposure of about Rs 2,92,342 crore to the power sector,said a report.

Grappling with a string of negatives like coal shortages and environment hurdles,private power producers might default on loans up to Rs 1.35 lakh crore,says a report.

Banking sector has an exposure of about Rs 2,92,342 crore to the power sector,said the report prepared by Mercados Energy Markets India on behalf of the Association of Power Producers (APP) that includes Reliance Power,Tata Power,Essar Power and Adani Power.

India’s power sector,expected to add over 50,000 MW capacity in the current Five Year Plan (2007-12),is grappling with a host of problems.

Noting that a spectre of acute coal shortage is looming large on the power sector,the report said there is a severe risk of stranding of assets and the associated contracts.

“Considering the impacted capacity to be 38,748 MW and assuming a capital cost of Rs 5 crore per MW (and a debt equity mix of 70:30),the total aggregate amount of default to the banking sector could be Rs 1,35,618 crore i.e. 46.39 per cent of the current banking exposure to the power sector,” the report said.

According to the report,up to 50 per cent of the power sector loans sanctioned are lying unutilised.

“These strains and slippages in funds lent to the infrastructure sector have been caused by project execution milestones being missed due to problems in fuel linkages and clearances.

Story continues below this ad

“This has resulted in tighter norms for power disbursement and banks are getting more cautious on incremental exposure in view of these uncertainties,” it added.

Company INFO More on Tata Power

Stocks More on Essar Power