For the first half of the fiscal, the RPG flagship had reported a loss of Rs 29 crore.

Market sources are expecting a bigger second-half loss, ranging from at least Rs 40 crore to Rs 100 crore.

The higher figure will show up if CESC takes into account depreciation for the first unit of its Budge Budge thermal power station, which was synchronised on September 17 last year and generated 245 mu during the remaining part of the fiscal.

Some markets sources indicated that the loss could be around Rs 120 crore, but close watchers of CESC believe that it will not be that high.

When contacted by The Financial Express, RPG sources declined to comment on the company's financial performance, saying that it is yet to finalise the accounts. No decision has yet been taken by theWest Bengal government on the controversial fuel surcharge issue.

The subject has been hanging fire for five years now. Coal prices have gone up by 70 per cent since 1993 and, according to CESC's calculations, the company is losing Rs 13 crore per month on the fuel surcharge account. According to a CESC press release, the Southern Generating Station led the CESC units with an output of 954 mu, nearly one-fifth higher than 807 mu achieved previous year.

The plant load factor (PLF) at this unit increased from 68.23 per cent to 80.67 per cent. The combined PLF of Mulajore, New Cossipore, Titagarh and Southern was up from 73.63 per cent to 75.42 per cent.

Operationally, CESC reduced the coal consumed per unit of power from 0.707 kg to 0.686 kg, with Titagarh reporting an improvement from 0.635 kg to 0.604 kg.

Total units delivered to the system by CESC increased by 8.09 per cent, from 3,311 mu to 3,579 mu. While imports by CESC from Damodar Valley Corp remained unchanged, imports from West Bengal StateElectricity Board went down by 2.35 per cent, from 2509 mu to 2450 mu.