“I want to be a ‘wartime general’ who takes on any crisis and overcomes it”

Rithu Dravid | NT

Bengaluru: With failed monsoons, the Department of Energy is in the hot seat with depleting power generation in Karnataka.

Already the state has been experiencing power outages in tier -2 and tier-3 cities during morning and evening hours.Energy minister K J George is in the hot seat no doubt working out strategies to mitigate the shortage of power.

In a free-wheeling chat with Rithu Dravid of News Trail, the minister shared his road map for the near future. Here are excerpts.

Sir, you had very humble beginnings and today, you have made it so big in Karnataka Politics. What is the secret of your success?

(Smiles) I am not from a political background. I started my political career during my student days with other youngsters. When the  split took place,Congress Indira Gandhi was our leader. All the senior leaders in Coorg, the place where I started my political life, left the original Congress party.

We as youngsters supported the Indira Congress and made an entry into politics at the grassroot level. I was also a true sports lover during my youth.

How is the power situation in the state due to failure of rain? Is Karnataka staring at a power crisis? If there is a deficit in generating hydel power because of lack of rains, how will the government tackle it?

There is an unexpected demand for power which is a good sign. Post Covid, thankfully there is a rise in economic growth. In the last four years, we had a surplus with less demand.

We have not added any power to the grid. Now all of a sudden, there is a spike in demand for power and we are struggling. Normally we shut down our thermal power stations for service and maintenance during the monsoon season. We are facing a shortage of wind energy too.

We have a very good team of engineers, officers and we will be able to put things in place. We have a big plan ahead of us in the coming months depending on the rains. We are keeping our fingers crossed. 

With the power crisis in Karnataka currently, do you think you have become Power Minister at the wrong time?

I don’t think it’s the wrong or the right time. A leader should be able to handle any crisis positively. We have a very cooperative and concerned Chief Minister, and an extremely efficient team of engineers and officers who will handle any crisis. I am very confident.

The power purchase agreements have always been very controversial; the JD(S) earlier alleged several irregularities in power purchase agreements with regard to the high rate of purchase from other states during the Siddaramaiah government’s tenure between 2013 and 2018? Is it true?

We have not indulged in any power purchase.The JD(S) is not aware of this fact. The then JD(S) power minister(HD Revanna) should have discussed it with his brother(HD Kumaraswamy) who was likely unaware of it. Probably he should have asked me about it.

He cannot blame the Congress without knowing the functioning of the system. We are using power from the grid when there is a demand for it. It is at a fixed rate and we don’t deal with any individual.

How can the grids be better managed for better energy storage besides buying low -cost power from the market.

We have to increase the number of transmission lines although it’s been done every year.

Karnataka is facing a crisis as hydel power generation has been affected due to non- filling up of dams owing to failure of rain. Are you planning solar energy expansion?

We have enough potential to generate solar power. The record-breaking solar park at Pavagada, Tumakuru generates about 2300 MW of solar power. This was an excellent initiative by D K Shivakumar, former Energy Minister.

But, unfortunately no one has taken extra measures to enhance it. However, we are planning for solar expansion, wind power generation and pumped hydro storage. We are also exploring the possibilities of green hydrogen as a clean energy solution. Hydel power is not so easy to get as there are environmental concerns.

You have been representing Sarvagna Nagar constituency for many years but infrastructure in Bengaluru city has crumbled. How will the government address this issue?

See, I contested from two constituencies in Bengaluru city - Bharthinagar and Sarvagna Nagar. The former constituency hardly had any infrastructure. We set up playgrounds, parks, upgraded 28 government schools with all facilities, and supported Anganwadis.

We are not using government funds but use CSR from my company that I own. We have opened two skilled training