The Hindu : Delay in monsoon to hit power availability

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002

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Other States - New Delhi

Delay in monsoon to hit power availability

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI JULY 16. The delay in arrival of the monsoon, which is already having its impact on the hydro-power generation in the Northern Grid, will hit the availability of electricity in the region, including the Capital, if the situation does not improve over the next few days.

Generation of hydel-power - constituting nearly 35 per cent of the total electricity in the Northern Grid - has come down by 700-800 MW this month; compared to June, because of significant depletion in water level in almost all dams of the region. It will further go down drastically, if rains do not come in the next few days, senior officials of the Northern Grid warned.

``As water level in almost all dams have reached a critical stage, early arrival of the monsoon is essential for the generation of electricity by the hydel power plants,'' official of the Northern Grid said. The situation has further deteriorated due to miscalculations made by the meteorological department's forecast of monsoon.

The major share of 2,850 MW of hydro-electricity to the grid comes from the Bhakra Beas Management Board, followed by 2,000 MW by National Hydro Power Corporation. Different States also have their own hydro plants, including 1,150 MW from Punjab; 1,000 MW from Uttranchal, 500 MW from Uttar Pradesh and 50 MW from Haryana, said officials of the Power Grid Corporation.

Delhi's share of 190 MW of hydel power was from NHPC plants in Uri, Chamer, Tanakpur, Salal and Berasul. Power generation in some of these plants has gone down this month due to the delay in monsoon. For instance, the production capacity of the Uri plant in Srinagar has declined from 480 MW to 250 MW in just ten days. "If there is no monsoon in the next few days, the water in the dam would dry, resulting in almost negligible production,'' the official warned.

Similarly, at the 540 MW NHPC hydro-station at Chamera, the depleting level of water in the dam has forced officials to run the plant for a few hours and generate 100 MW as per the need. The BBMB too is facing problem and is operating for lesser hours due to the water problem, resulting in decline in its generation.

Putting the blame on the present scenario of poor forecast by the Met Department, officials said they released water from the dam in anticipation of the monsoon. "Our dams are designed to store maximum amount of rain water. Our planning normally is to utilise water just before the monsoon so that dams have enough capacity for intake of the water.

But this time, we have been caught on the wrong foot as we went by the forecast,'' officials said. "All our calculations have gone hay wire,'' they added.

The monsoon, which was to originally hit the Capital on June 29 as per the original forecast of the meteorological department, is now expected later this month.

According to officials, though the generation of electricity by the thermal power plants would not be affected, the decline in hydel-power would result in shortfall of power in the grid, which will hit the overall situation in the region. "If we do not have adequate power, all States, including Delhi, will have to go in for large-scale power cuts in the days to come,'' officials said.

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