The Hindu : New Delhi News : Vasundhara dials Raman Singh to tackle power problem

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Vasundhara dials Raman Singh to tackle power problem

Special Correspondent

Rajasthan is facing a sudden shortage of 2 crore units of electricity everyday

The State is not getting supply of 65 lakh units everyday from the Central power houses
50 lakh units in its share of 1.25 crore units a day from the Northern Grid is also not available

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has initiated steps to deal with a sudden shortage of 2 crore units of electricity everyday following reduction in power production by the Central power houses and closure of some power units in the State due to technical snags.

Official sources said here on Saturday that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje spoke to her counterpart in Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh, for purchasing power from that State during the rabi crop season, while the public sector power companies were trying to get additional electricity from other States.

The situation is likely to improve by Sunday, when the closed units of Suratgarh and Singrauli will restart production.

The demand and supply scenario was reviewed at a high-level meeting presided over by the Chairman and Managing Director of Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, Shrimat Pandey, here on Saturday.

Mr. Pandey noted that the power distribution companies in the State were facing the sudden and unexpected shortage in the New Year after supplying electricity to consumers without any major load-shedding during most of the months during 2007. Rajasthan is already not getting 65 lakh units of electricity a day as part of its share in the production by the atomic power stations.

While the reduction in supply from the Central power houses is stated to be of the order of 65 lakh units everyday, the State is also not getting 50 lakh units in its share of 1.25 crore units a day from the Northern Grid under the Power Purchase Agreement after the Grid’s frequency went down to less than 49 points over the weekend.

Besides, one unit of the Suratgarh thermal power plant stopped production following a technical snag on Thursday, reducing the supply by 55 lakh units, while the availability decreased further by 18 lakh units a day after another unit at the Giral thermal power station stopped working over the weekend.

The closure of one unit at the Central power house at Singrauli has also led to the reduction in power supply by 20 lakh units everyday. Mr. Pandey said all attempts were being made to ensure regular power supply across the State despite the paucity caused by factors beyond the control of discoms. According to the Power Grid Corporation, the hydel power generation has come down by 600 MW due to scarcity of water in the reservoirs in the northern region, while the Anta and Oraiya projects have reduced their production by 425 MW. The power production at Farakka has fallen from 1,800 MW to 950 MW.

Minister of State for Energy Gajendra Singh has instructed the discoms to supply adequate electricity to farmers during the rabi crop season, while noting that full supply was ensured in the identified blocks during December. The power supply was recorded at 11.39 crore units on New Year’s Day.

Mr. Singh said the third unit at the Dholpur plant would work to its full capacity, while the Giral lignite-based thermal power station in Barmer district would also step up its production.

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