Power-surplus Himachal reeling under outages

SCANTY RAINFALL, SLOW THAWING OF GLACIERS HIT HYDROPOWER GENERATION

SHIMLA: At a time when many states are facing an electricity crisis, power surplus Himachal Pradesh too is facing power outages. Scanty rainfall and slow thawing of glaciers have impacted hydropower generation in the state. Himachal which sells electricity to other states during peak production months is now buying power in exchange at a rate of ₹12 per unit

The rate last year was between ₹6 and ₹7. With electricity generation picking up pace in its hydropower projects, Himachal may soon be in a position to help other states to deal with the power crisis that has emerged due to coal shortage.

The production capacity of Himachal is 11,128 MW and currently, 45% of it is being generated and will reach its peak by the first week of June.

“There is a power crisis in many states and Himachal too is not untouched,” said Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) chairman Pankaj Dadwal. According to officials, the supply of 250 MW of electricity that the state was expected to get from thermal power plants has been stopped due to coal crisis.

Load restrictions in industrial areas

The increased demand and low supply have also led to power cuts, occasionally extending up to six hours, in various industrial areas of the state. Load restrictions have been imposed in Baddi, Nalagarh, Paonta Sahib, Parwanoo, Mandhala, Kandrori, Amb and Una.

There are about 22 lakh domestic consumers in the state and 3 lakh industrial and commercial connections. The HPSEB purchased 700 lakh units of electricity on an exchange basis to meet the shortage.

With high temperatures likely to accelerate the glacial melting, power generation is expected to rise in the coming days. There has been an increase of 15% to 20% in the total power generation in the state. The Centre has a 70% share of the total production. Himachal gets its share as per the agreement with companies and other states.

“The situation, however, has improved now. No power cuts have been imposed in the state since April 29 as the power generation in hydel projects has gathered pace,” said Dadwal. From May 1, the HPSEB has started supplying electricity to Punjab. Currently, the state is supplying about 13 MW of electricity to Punjab per day.