Shutdown of three generating units may lead to load-shedding

Additional shortage of about 700 MW surfaces in State due to outage

The summer — which has always been a tightrope walk for the power-starved Karnataka — is set to herald its arrival in the power sector as the State may face unscheduled load-shedding for a few days due to power shortage.

According to sources in the sector, power shortage has gone up due to the stopping of generation by a 300-MW Jindal unit and the 210-MW capacity Unit 6 at the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) two days ago. The shortage further increased on Sunday with the 210-MW capacity Unit 1 of the RTPS too stopping generation due to technical snag.

Ash clearing

The Jindal unit is shut for clearing the collection of ash in the ash pond while the RTPS units have stopped generation due to technical snag. The Jindal unit and the Unit 6 of the RTPS are expected to resume generation by Tuesday night or Wednesday. Efforts are on to rectify the technical problems with respect Unit 1 of the RTPS by Monday.

The State has been facing a shortage of about 1,000 MW and the above temporary shortage of about 700 MW has only made things worse.

According to sources, the State may have to resort to unscheduled load-shedding to make up for this additional shortage till these three units resume generation. Sources said that as far as possible, the authorities would try to ensure that Bangalore was spared of the burden of load-shedding as it has been their main revenue earning area.

Demand

Presently, the State has been supplying about 173 million units (mu) of power a day. This is expected to touch 180 mu soon as the demand for power is sharply increasing in tune with the increase in temperature. The State has been buying additional power with a capacity of 1,300 MW.

Though the two units stopped generation two days ago, the impact was not felt much as the State's power consumption was less during the weekend as a large number of industries and offices remained closed.

Effect

The shortage is expected to be felt on Monday and Tuesday. However, on Monday, there is a scheduled shutdown for power supply line related to the BWSSB for maintenance work. This is going to reduce the demand by about 75 MW, sources said.

Hydel reservoirs

The storage in the three major hydel reservoirs of the State too is slightly less when compared to the last year. Besides, this hydel storage has to be judiciously used to ensure that the State has sufficient availability of hydel power till the commencement of the monsoon in June.