IndiaPosted at: Sep 17 2026 3:32PM


Pawan Khera alleges 84 tender changes cleared the way for Adani Power in Uttarakhand

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Congress chairman of Media and Publicity Pawan Khera on Thursday accused the BJP-led Uttarakhand government of manipulating the tendering process for procurement of 1,320 MW of coal-based power, alleging that 84 changes to the bidding conditions effectively weakened competition and benefited Adani Power.
Khera alleged that the tender represented what he called the “Modani model” of governance, and claimed that Uttarakhand’s electricity consumers could face a financial liability of nearly Rs 1.6 lakh crore over the 25-year duration of the proposed power purchase arrangement.
“84 rules changed, competition erased, Adani delivered — this is not bidding, this is BJP’s bidding for Adani,” Khera said.
His allegations come weeks after the Uttarakhand Cabinet approved a 25-year power purchase agreement between Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) and Adani Power Ltd for 1,320 MW of coal-based electricity at a tariff of Rs 5.746 per unit. The state government has said Adani Power emerged as the lowest bidder and that the procurement was aimed at strengthening energy security and ensuring reliable base-load power. The agreement is subject to statutory and regulatory approvals.
The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission’s records show that UPCL had sought approval for procurement of 1,320 MW of round-the-clock coal-based power on a long-term basis. Separate proceedings before the regulator also concerned deviations, modifications and clarifications in specific clauses of the request for proposal and power supply agreement.
Khera questioned why a project that, according to him, was initially conceived through public-sector entities was subsequently abandoned and replaced by a competitive procurement exercise that ended with Adani Power emerging as the successful bidder.
He claimed that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had in 2024 informed the union Coal and Mines Minister that the proposed thermal power project would be developed through a joint venture between UJVN Ltd and THDC India Ltd, with the union government giving in-principle approval in July that year. Khera alleged that the state government subsequently abandoned the public-sector proposal on January 16, 2025, citing concerns over implementation timelines.
The Congress leader then linked the sequence to Adani Power’s acquisition of Lanco Amarkantak Power Ltd through insolvency proceedings in August 2024, arguing that the transaction included an under-construction 1,320 MW expansion project at Korba in Chhattisgarh.
Khera alleged that UPCL floated its 1,320 MW tender on February 3, 2025, and that 84 of 86 modifications sought from the Ministry of Power’s standard tender template were subsequently accepted. Among the changes he highlighted was a provision allowing the entire 1,320 MW requirement to be met by a single bidder, along with permission for the generating plant to be located anywhere in India rather than within Uttarakhand.
He further alleged that the revised conditions shifted the burden of transmitting electricity over a long distance to the public exchequer and provided a construction schedule of 42 months for the first unit and 48 months for the second.
Khera also questioned the reported increase in the fixed-charge ceiling from 70 per cent to 75 per cent, alleging that the change could create a substantial fixed-payment stream for the successful bidder regardless of the actual quantum of electricity consumed by Uttarakhand.
The Congress leader also raised questions over coal supply arrangements, alleging that the coal linkage was connected to the Pelma coal block in Chhattisgarh, where Adani subsidiary Pelma Collieries Ltd was appointed Mine Developer and Operator in 2022.
The Uttarakhand government has presented the procurement in markedly different terms, describing it as a long-term measure to address the state’s power deficit, reduce dependence on seasonal hydropower and provide greater stability in electricity supply. State officials have said the project will be established in Chhattisgarh and that power is expected to be supplied to Uttarakhand from the 2029-30 financial year. The state has also said the procurement was conducted through tariff-based competitive bidding under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003, and that Adani Power emerged as the lowest bidder.
Khera calculated that if the entire 1,320 MW capacity were to operate continuously for 8,760 hours a year at Rs 5.746 per unit, the annual electricity cost would be around Rs 6,649 crore. Over 25 years, he said, that would amount to roughly Rs 1.66 lakh crore, though actual payments would depend on generation, contractual terms and other factors.
“This is crony capitalism dressed up as competitive bidding,” Khera alleged, accusing the government of “surrender of public interest to private greed”.
He questioned why Uttarakhand consumers should bear the cost of transmitting power generated in Chhattisgarh and whether the repeated changes to the tender conditions were intended to widen competition or accommodate a particular bidder.
“Why did the BJP Government kill its own UJVN–THDC project only to create a 1,320 MW opportunity that perfectly fits Adani’s Korba plant?” Khera asked.
“Why were 84 tender conditions rewritten — was the tender designed for competition, or designed for Adani?” he said.
Khera also questioned the increase in the fixed-charge ceiling to 75 per cent and asked whether the arrangement was intended to guarantee electricity supply or provide guaranteed revenue to Adani Power for 25 years.
“Why should the people of Uttarakhand pay nearly Rs 1.6 lakh crore over 25 years for a project whose tender conditions were repeatedly changed to fit one corporate group?” he asked.
The Congress leader sought to portray the Uttarakhand agreement as part of what he alleged was a broader pattern in public contracts and infrastructure projects, accusing the BJP government of weakening public-sector alternatives and altering rules in ways that he claimed benefited the Adani group.
“This is not ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. This is ‘Sirf Adani Ka Saath, Sirf Adani Ka Vikas’,” Khera said.
The allegations remain political claims by the Congress and would need to be assessed against the complete tender documents, the modifications approved by the competent authorities, the bidding record and the regulatory proceedings. Official records confirm that UPCL sought regulatory approval for deviations and modifications to the tender and power supply agreement, while the Uttarakhand government has maintained that the procurement was conducted through competitive bidding and that Adani Power emerged as the lowest bidder. UNI SKA AAB
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