hydel units

Karnataka

power

Electricity

The unprecedented drought across the state is already knocking on our doors.On Tuesday when we highlighted on our front page the drought that the state was reeling under, we had said it might seem like a rural issue, but will come home to bite us. We could not have been more bang on.Following a sudden fall in the generation capacity ofdue to lack of inflow of water and shortfall in supply from thermal units,is reeling under a massive shortage of 3,000 MW of power. Caught in the pincer between falling generation and increasing demand, the government is considering imposingcuts ranging from two hours to 12 hours across the state, Bengaluru included.If the situation worsens over the coming days, the IT city will witness official load-shedding in monsoon after a hiatus of 15 years. Though the government is trying its best to avoid unscheduled power cuts in Bengaluru, paucity of power available for purchase on short-term basis and non-availability of a corridor are expected to make power cuts a reality in Bengaluru by the third week of August, according to sources in the energy department.The drought situation is so alarming that even the rain-rich Malnad areas haven’t got enough rainfall, resulting in reduced supply to reservoirs. “Due to reduced inflow to reservoirs, we are forced to maintain the minimum water level for potable use.This has affected power generation and, in several hydel units at these reservoirs, generation has come down by half. The Linganamakki Reservoir which should have touched the 1,800-feet mark by now is at less than 1,775 ft. Same is the case with Varahi too causing panic buttons to be pressed,” explained a senior official from the Energy Department.With the state staring at a grim situation, the government plans to impose up to 12 hours of power cuts in rural areas and about four to five hours in urban areas. However, the State capital is likely to have it easier with the department mulling two-hour cuts starting third week of August, soon after the scheduled polls to BBMP.Though the IT city accounts for 50 to 60 per cent of both consumption and revenue in the state, the government is in no position to ensure uninterrupted power supply. The overall fall in generation and short supply has resulted in 30 per cent shortage of power in Bengaluru alone.supply companies have been trying their best to meet the demand with whatever allocation made by both the transmission and generating companies.A senior technical person attached to Bescom told Bangalore Mirror on condition of anonymity that there has been shortage of at least 600 MW on a daily basis. “The peak-hour demand of the IT city is about 4,200 MW on any given day. But the supply has been hovering around 3,600 MW, suggesting a 30 per cent deficit,” the engineer said.While poor inflow to reservoirs has put a question mark over hydel power generation, high tides due to rough seas along the coastal area has cut off generation at thermal stations like Udipi Power Generation Ltd (UPCL). Top officials from the Energy Department confirmed that both units of UPCL were down, leading to 1120 MW shortage. “If one generation station has contributed so much loss, the effect will be severe because hydel stations too have been hit. The focus will be on retaining water for drought relief measures,” said a senior official.Besides, there is also no availability of power for short-term purchase. “Even if you get power, all the transmission corridors have been booked. This kind of situation had prevailed in 1998-’99 and almost 15 years later, the state is inching toward a similar scenario,” explained another bureaucrat.Alternative energy sources aren’t providing any relief either. Inflow from renewable sources like solar, wind, mini-hydel has also plummeted leaving the government worried. The government, according to sources, is considering approaching the Centre to increase allocation from various Central generating stations.Though Karnataka has been allocated 1,500 MW from various Central stations, there has been fluctuation in meeting the allotted quantity. In view of the current crisis, the government plans to petition for at least 3,000 MW from these stations.