The Hindu : Power cuts unabated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 26, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Power cuts unabated

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25. There were more power cuts in the Capital on Thursday as the three discoms resorted to repeated loadshedding during the morning and evening peak hours.

Officials of the North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL), which is responsible for distribution of electricity in North and North-West Delhi, said they were forced to resort to rotational loadshedding because of a shortfall in electric supply from Delhi Transco. The areas badly hit were Karampura, Raja garden, Moti Nagar, Punjabi Bagh and Lawrance Road.

The BSES Rajdhani Power Limited and BSES Yamuna Power Limited -- responsible for distribution of electricity in the rest of the Capital -- said parts of East Delhi were the worst hit areas due to power cuts today particularly Mayur Vihar (all three phases), Laxmi Nagar, Seelampur, Patparganj, I.P. Extension, Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar, Madangir, Saket, Kalkaji, Govindpuri, and Mehrauli.

Complaints of unscheduled power cuts were also received from a large number of areas in other parts of the Capital.

For their part, the Delhi Transco officials said the peak demand recorded today was 2,479 MW at 11 a.m. when the load-shedding was just 10 MW, while the maximum power cut of 103 MW was registered at 11-30 a.m. when the demand was 2,405 MW.

Officials said the load-shedding at the Transco level was mainly due to low frequency in the grid. Officials said the situation was not likely to improve over the next couple of days at least till the one unit each of Badarpur and Dadri plants (now under shutdown due to pre-summer maintenance) became operational.

Senior Delhi Government officials said the shortfall in power supply was also because of other factors. For instance, the West Bengal Electricity Board has not been giving 150 MW to the Power Trading Corporation for the past one week.

The 135 MW-Rajghat Power Station was generating only 67 MW. Due to low water level in rivers, Uttaranchal was unable to meet its commitment of 50 MW to the PTC.

While the Rajghat station is expected to be resume its full generation by March 26, the one unit of Badarpur, now shutdown for pre-summer maintenance, would become operational by March 27, another unit of Dadri from March 29 and the Singrauli unit by April 5. "From April 1, we would also start getting 110 MW from Naphtha Jhakri Hydro Project in Himachal Pradesh," the official said.

Meanwhile, in a statement the Transco announced load-shedding between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday in DSIDC Narela, Narela Town, Tikri, Singhoo and Singhola.

Power cuts during the peak morning and evening hours have also hit the water supply in large parts of the Capital. "When there is no electricity, how can we pump water to the houses from the underground reservoir?" asked a senior Delhi Jal Board official.

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