Bengaluru: The Yelahanka combined cycle power plant — touted to be the city’s first own power plant — is behind schedule.

Construction was inaugurated by the then chief minister Siddaramaiah in June 2016. The plant was supposed to be ready by May 2018. Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) officials said the plant will be commissioned in a couple of months.

The 370 MW plant, which is being implemented in place of the defunct diesel plant, is gas-based and was set to cost around ₹1,570 crore.

KPCL officials blamed the delay on ‘contractual issues and mobilisation of men and material’. However, officials refused to divulge if the delay had pushed up the cost of the project.

“Everything needed, including gas, water and power evacuation, is ready. It will be commissioned this year for sure,” said a senior official.

A recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) had deemed the project ‘on-track for a delayed commissioning’.

“A sub-scale base-load imported gas-fired power plant at an operating rate of less than 25% will be commercially unviable and will result in a stranded asset. The constant failure of mega-size gas-based plants in Karnataka points at an obvious unnecessity and unviability of gas-fired base-load power,” the report said.

The IEEFA pitched instead for the plant to manage peak power requirements: “With rising share of renewables in the country and in Karnataka, a gas plant for peak-power requirements makes more commercial sense. The Yelahanka plant might have to be converted to a flexible peak-hour power facility in order to avoid another commercial fiasco. Gas, in the near term, could only be an option for peak-hour usage with a differential wholesale tariff in place for peaking gas-fired plants.”

Kumar G. Naik, MD, KPCL, defended the project saying the plant would ‘bring in grid stability, lower transmission losses (power is transmitted to Bengaluru from Ballari, Raichur and other parts of the country), and help manage sudden requirement of peak load management by enabling starting or stopping supply more easily’.

“The idea is to have a mix of energy resources, and not just coal or water-based,” he said.

The IEEFA’s suggestion to keep the plant for peak-hour usage would end up resulting in loss of energy, he said.

He allayed fears of pollution. “Gas is not as polluting as diesel. There will also be zero effluents going out of the plant’s premises,” he said.

On fears of Jakkur lake being in danger because of the power plant, he said, “The lake will also get water, and so will the plant.”