The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : No escape from power failures

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Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

No escape from power failures

Swathi. V

Underperformance of the transformers is a cause for concern

Over 390 failures of distribution transformers in the city in eight months
The number stands at over 2,000 in Ranga Reddy district

HYDERABAD: If it is not regular or emergency load relief, it could be a technical glitch for the power consumers of the city and surrounding areas.

Though there are no official powercuts now, many areas in the city and Ranga Reddy district experience prolonged blackouts due to problems associated with transmission.

It could be a bird perch or tree fall resulting in powercut ranging from half-an-hour to an hour or in the worst cases, the transformer failure.

According to officials, over 390 failures of the distribution transformers (DTR) have been recorded in the city from April 1 till date.

This averages to 43 failures per month and more than a failure per day.

For Ranga Reddy, this figure stands even greater at more than 2,000 during the same period, while averaging at about 250 failures per month.

South Circle

The figure is predominantly high in the South Circle covering the old city, where the number of failures stands at 278.

However, it is attributed to the habit of people who meddle with the supply in this part of the city.

Lack of attention

The underperformance of the transformers is a cause for concern particularly because it points to the lack of attention while procurement.

“There are two stages of product evaluation -- technical and financial -- before procurement of transformers. Only after the product passes the first stage, can it vie in the latter.

However, of late, hardly any attention is being paid to the quality aspect and contracts are being awarded to the lowest bidder,” a Divisional Engineer remarks.

He alleges that the transformers thus procured do not last beyond the warranty period.

“To reduce on costs, manufacturers fill in recycled oil that is low in dielectric strength. It results in a host of technical problems,” says the DE.

Rural areas

The number of transformers that failed within the warranty period stood at more than 80 during the eight months in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, a majority of them said to be in the rural areas.

Officials note that while the transformers bought by individual consumers, as in the case of apartments, are of better quality, those from the department are wont to break down frequently.

Laxity in maintenance

“Laxity of officials with regard to monthly maintenance too results in frequent transformer failures. Season-specific imbalances in loads need to be monitored by the respective Assistant Engineers the failure of which results in breakdowns,” says an official.

The age of the transformer, which in many instances exceeds 30 years, also results in underperformance, the official says.

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