As Jammu and Kashmir is facing power crises due to preponing of summer, the Union Government has allocated 207 MW of additional power to the Union Territory to meet the increasing electricity demand.
Principal Secretary, to the Lt Governor Nitishwar Kumar, said that the order issued by the Union Ministry of Power will substantially increase the availability of power in J&K.
Pertinently, the Union Government has allocated additional power from the unallocated quota of Central Generating Stations of the Northern Region Pool to Jammu and Kashmir. The order in this regard will come into the effect from midnight and the UT is expected to receive the additional supply on Thursday.
J&K's Power Development Department is also making dedicated efforts on all fronts to meet the rising demand for the power supply in the UT, exploring practical and viable solutions to address the needs of the end consumers.
It was informed that between April 1 to 25, the Power Development Department allocated an additional Rs. 52 crore to purchase power from the open market, also known as energy exchange, however, due to the increased number of bidding, electricity worth only Rs.10.41 crore could only be supplied to the Union Territory of J&K.
Owing to the early onset of summer and an unprecedented heatwave in the month of March and April, experienced for the first time in the last 122 years and 50 years respectively, the Power Development Department took the decision to place a maximum bid on the energy exchange to meet the shortfall amidst the surging power demand. Eventually, the additional allocation was made in March to ensure maximum power supply.
The Power Development Department is also ensuring optimal output from available power sources. However, it is pertinent to mention that thermal plants account for 70% of the country's power generation capacity. Thermal and Hydropower contribute 50%-50% to meeting the demand of the Union Territory of J&K. Hydropower plants operate at reduced capacity during the month of March and April due to the accumulation of snow which starts melting only in the month of May.
Power demand increase this year
In April 2021, the power demand for the Jammu division was 830 MW per day. The demand has increased to 900 MW this year. The Power Development Department is using all its resources including purchases from the Energy Exchange to ensure 770 MW, which is being supplied to the people of the Jammu division.
Between, April 1 to April 26th of this year, only 6.17% less power units have been supplied in comparison to the same period in 2021. The PDD officials are bidding at the energy exchange on an hourly basis to ensure that even this gap is bridged.
In the light of the increasing power demand in the Jammu and Kashmir Division, Nitishwar Kumar is reviewing the position of power availability on an hourly basis.
Principal Secretary holds meeting to review power situation
A meeting was also held earlier today in which senior officials of PDD and Engineers were present. It was noted that as compared to April 2021, energy consumption this year for the same period has increased.
After detailed deliberations in the meeting, Nitishwar Kumar directed the deployment of middle management level officers at grid stations to monitor the power schedule. It was advised that the area-wise curtailment schedule be communicated to the public using all available platforms.
Omar Abdullah rakes up the power issue
Expressing his concern over power crises in J&K, former chief minister and vice president of National Conference Omar Abdullah said "I wonder why power remains on during the rest of the hours during day and night but not at the time of Sehri and Iftaar. You wake to have Sehri, there is no electricity and the same is the case when you have Iftaar. There is no electricity during Taraweeh prayers and when prayers are over, electricity is restored," he said, adding that "it seems to be a deliberate attempt to disturb the people of Kashmir."
