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Massive power cuts again

Staff Reporter

Delhi unable to meet peak demand of 3,600 MW; load-shedding of 750 MW

NEW DELHI: Delhi reeled under long and unscheduled power cuts on Friday as the situation worsened with the closure of more gas-fired power generation units due to non-availability of gas from the fields located in flood ravaged Gujarat and Maharashtra. With the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri plant also closed due to high silt levels in the Sutlej river, Delhi was unable to meet the day's peak demand of 3,600 MW and there was load-shedding of 750 MW.

The high level of load-shedding meant that the power supply in most colonies was disrupted for four to 10 hours. Residents across the Capital fumed and fretted as the long cuts made life miserable in the hot and sultry weather.

The private distribution companies insisted that while some local breakdowns had taken place, the primary reason for the long hours of unscheduled cuts was the shortage in power supply from the generation units. The website of Delhi Transco Limited showing details of the power situation also collapsed during the day and all the figures in the real time data showed a zero. As for the production of power, while there is hope that with the waters receding in Gujarat the production of gas at the fields which supply gas to Delhi and adjoining States for generation of power would resume, on Friday the situation only worsened with all the power plants running out of gas one after the other. On Thursday, the two 47 MW units of Pragati Power Station and two 104 MW units of Gas Turbine in Delhi were shut down due to shortage of gas. This was followed by the closure of another 122 MW unit of STG. With three units of Indraprashta plant producing 144 MW of power also not working, Delhi's own generation fell drastically. The problem was compounded by the closure of a 200 MW gas units at Auriya and of a 210 MW unit of Unchahar I.

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