The Hindu : New Delhi News : Capital may face long hours of power cuts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 11, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Capital may face long hours of power cuts

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Capital may have to face long hours of power cuts or even a rise in tariffs if the Centre fails to enhance Delhi’s share of power from 22 per cent to 40 per cent from the unallocated quota from May 15.

As the Centre takes a final call on the issue, the State Government is doing its best to seek a favourable decision. The State Government has claimed that if the city does not get an additional 400 MW from May 15, the result will be long duration outages and an increase in the expenditure of the power distribution companies that will have to purchase expensive power to bridge the gap.

“The city was scheduled to get 400 MW from Damodar Valley Corporation which it is no longer getting. Two units of DVC have been delayed and the maximum that we can expect is 250 MW. To meet the gap of another 200 MW, the discoms will have to purchase expensive power from the open market and if that happens, they will pass on the financial burden to the consumers,” said an official of the State Power Department.

The power that comes from the Centre’s unallocated quota is priced significantly lower than the power that is bought from other sources.

Referring to the likelihood of the Capital facing long power cuts, should the Centre decline Delhi’s demand, an official said: “Though Delhi does not need this 400 MW round the clock, its dearth will surely affect the situation in the city. We have already made some arrangements, but what we need is more power during the peak hours once at noon and once during the night. In the absence of this power there undoubtedly will be power cuts.” Citing another reason why Delhi’s quota should be increased, Delhi Power Minister A.K. Walia said: “Additional power will also help us maintain grid discipline. When we have a fixed quota, we will not be required to overdraw power and cause inconvenience to other States.”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi