The underlying logic of this is the same dumb thinking that caused all the stupid infrastructure privatizations of the last 20 years: That the government should

The underlying logic of this is the same dumb thinking that caused all the stupid infrastructure privatizations of the last 20 years: That the government should "make money" on infrastructure, and if it can't it should privatize it. The entire point of infrastructure is that the government runs it at a loss, the loss gets captured by the private sector/household, and the multiplier effect makes it a positive thing on the whole. The government should ensure the money is well spent, but if it is then 1 dollar of electricity deficit(on government side) is like 1.2-1.3 dollars of surplus somewhere else on the balance sheet.