Mandya: After a hiatus of 25 years, the state-owned MySugar, which resumed operations earlier this year, has successfully generated 12.2MW of electricity. The electricity generation unit, established in 2007 at a cost of Rs 100 crore, had faced setbacks due to a fire accident and other issues, reported The Times of India.
The foundation for the electricity cogeneration unit was laid in 1996 at a cost of Rs 30 crore during Siddaramegowda’s chairmanship. In the subsequent year, the project cost was escalated to Rs 55 crore, with a cogeneration capacity of 30 megawatts, and the completion deadline set for 2001. However, due to financial constraints and other factors, progress on the project was sluggish, leading to a cost increase to Rs 100 crore.
In 2007, the cogeneration unit was finally completed and inaugurated by the then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. However, it ceased operations after generating a mere 500 units of power with a working capacity for just an hour. The unfortunate fire incident exacerbated the situation, causing damage to the factory and resulting in operational halts. The factory encountered additional challenges, including boiler issues, a shortage of technical staff, and a scarcity of sugarcane. Efforts to revive the sugar factory and the cogeneration unit were only initiated in 2022, with the cogeneration unit’s restart taking place this year at a reduced capacity.
In 2022, MySugar successfully generated a total of 12.2MW of electricity, with the factory utilizing 7.3 lakh units for various purposes, while exporting 4.93 lakh units to Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Company (CESC). MySugar processed a total of 2.4 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane, producing , 68,030 quintals of sugar and 15,770 metric tonnes of molasses.
MySugar’s Managing Director, MR Ravikumar, stated to reporters that the company’s target for the coming year is to crush a minimum of five lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane, with a daily crushing capacity of 10,000 tonnes. He added that the company has engaged a Pune-based firm to submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR), which will be forwarded to the state government for approval. The company aims to maximize electricity cogeneration capacity to 30MW from the next year, with a broader goal of rebuilding the company to match private entities in the district.
