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UP power situation dismal

LUCKNOW: With demonstrations being held at several places in Uttar Pradesh in protest against prolonged power cuts, the scene continues to be dismal.

The latest round of power crisis is attributed to a shutdown by nine units of Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (UPRVUN) due to technical snags, which brought the power generation down to 1,800 megawatt. Five of these units –- two in Harduaganj, two in Parichha and one in Panki thermal power stations – re-started on Wednesday, increasing the total generation to around 2,300 MW.

Power officials see little let-up in the situation in spite of a slight increase in power generation given the sultry weather. “As there has been a break in the rainfall, the demand for electricity during peak hours is almost certain to cross 9,000 MW,” said Shailendra Dubey, Chief Engineer, Thermal Operation, UPRVUN, adding that with the possibility of an increase in demand, around 2,500 MW of power cuts would have to be made for maintaining a balance between demand and supply.

Sultry and humid weather has led to an increase in consumption of electricity. At the local level, the problem has manifested in the form of burnt transformers which have been unable to bear the excess power load. Dharnas and road jams at many places were attributed to power outages due to damaged transformers.

The average thermal generation in the State is around 2,300 MW, which often falls to 1,800 MW and even 1,500 MW in the event of a shut down by the generation units. Demand for power during peak hours ranges between 7,500 to 8,000 MW, with 3,200 to 3,500 MW being imported from the Central pool. Scheduled and unscheduled power cuts account for an average of 1,500 to 1,800 MW daily. Even though the Bahujan Samaj Party regime plans to add an additional 10,000 MW by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan in 2012, power officials are sceptical that the objective of increasing the installed capacity would be achieved, given the fact that it takes a minimum of four years for a new power plant to get commissioned.

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