The restriction and control on use of electricity by the EPDCL resulted in a blackout in the city on Wednesday. Even the IT SEZ at Duvvada and Rishikonda have not been exempted from the power shutdown.
The AP Electricity Regulatory Commission issued an order on restriction and control on use of electricity from September 12, after the four distribution companies had approached it with a proposal. The EPDCL sent out letters to all its consumers directing them to restrict the use of power to 10 per cent of contracted maximum demand during peak hours and to 60 per cent during off-peak hours.
In other words, the industries are allowed to draw only 10 per cent of their contracted demand from 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. and 60 per cent of their contracted demand between midnight and 6.30 p.m. and again between 10.30 p.m. and midnight.
The EPDCL, invoking its power to “curtail supply of electricity to any consumer or a class of consumers as and when required to safeguard the grid as per the directions of the State Load Despatch Centre and in pursuant to the orders of the APERC for maintaining efficient supply and securing equitable distribution of electricity,” has sent notices to its consumers.
The EPDCL should send a notice to all the commercial establishments not to use lights on hoardings and name-boards as this would at least ensure that there was power supply to domestic consumers. “It is a crime to have old and infirm persons stranded on the fifth floor, while the shops use extra lights,” a shopkeeper said.
Earlier, addressing representatives of industries at a meeting, EPDCL Director (Operations) H. Y. Dora had said the discom had been only following the directives of the APERC which had given exemption to only a few categories of consumers.The restriction on power consumption would affect operations of IT industries whose employees were required to be available to different international time zones, a representative of the industry said.
