BANGALORE: With the onset of the South-West monsoon, the demand for power in the State has come down to about 110 million units (mu) from 113 mu in April and May. The demand had touched the peak at 116.5 mu in March.

The power cut in the rural areas will, however, continue owing to the low power transmission capacity in certain regions and the sudden huge demand for electricity at certain times which normally results in a surge and the consequent burning out of equipment. The low power rate for rural areas has also come in the way of unrestricted supply of electricity to villages. There is a six-hour power shutdown in rural areas with three-phase supply for nine hours and a single-phase supply for as many hours.

The Chairman of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL), V. Madhu told The Hindu that Karnataka was now ranked fifth in per capita power consumption. While the national average is 530 units per person per year, it is 640 units in Karnataka. The top four are Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu. The Planning Commission has an ambitious plan to ensure that the per capita power consumption is at least 1,000 units by the end of the Eleventh Plan period (2012). In China the per capita power consumption is 1,250 units.

Except for a few days in December when the power supply in the State faced certain problems following shortage of coal at the Raichur Thermal Power Station, the supply position has been satisfactory during the last ten months of the financial year.

Mr. Madhu said the power availability position would marginally improve in the coming months with the commissioning of some power stations including the 500 mw Bellary Thermal Power Station.

However, the authorities will be able to meet the unrestricted demand for power in 2006-07 when the State is expected to get 860 mw of power.

The KPTCL is drawing 30 mu from hydel sources, 34 mu from thermal sources, 32 mu from the Central generating stations such as Ramagundam, Neyveli and Talcher, and another 12 mu from independent power producers in the State. It is also drawing power from non-conventional energy sources.

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