UP battles power crunch as Anpara unit shuts

Technical glitch, damp coal stocks and inadequate coal supply add to discomfort in sultry weather

Uttar Pradesh is facing a severe electricity crisis due to multiple factors, forcing the state power utility has started cutting power.

The crisis has been compounded by rising energy demands due to sultry weather, tripping of thermal power units, technical snags and closure of units due to coal shortage. Besides, coal stock at thermal power stations has become damp in the sporadic rainfall, affecting combustibility and, therefore, power generation.

The crisis deepened on Sunday with the closure of one more unit at the Anpara thermal power project, due to a snag, prompting Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan to ask officials to find a solution to meet the electricity shortage.

UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Kamran Rizvi said transformer number five of 500 Mw of the unit had developed a snag on July 9 and was being repaired by Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited at Bhopal. Rizvi said it takes at least a month to get a generation transformer repaired.

According to the Northern Load Dispatch Centre, all power plants in Uttar Pradesh, public and private sector units, on Sunday sent about 4,322 megawatts (Mw) to the grid, against their combined installed capacity of 10,131 Mw. This equals to a little under 43 per cent.

The total capacity includes thermal power plants, hydro power units and cogeneration.

The energy demand in Uttar Pradesh is around 12,500 Mw, against the total availability of 10,500 Mw.

UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) gets power from state-owned thermal and hydro electric plants, central sector, private sector plants, procurement from energy exchange, solar power, bilateral agreement between states.

Speaking to Business Standard, UPPCL Managing Director A P Mishra said, “There had been no let-up in power demand, as rainfall had only been sporadic and sultry weather conditions prevailed.”

Recently, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had requested Union Minister of State for Power and Coal (Independent Charge) Piyush Goyal to increase coal supply to the thermal power plant at Parichha, Jhansi.

Three units totalling 450 Mw of the Parichha plant were shut due to coal shortage. As such, the plant was working at only 60 per cent of its installed capacity of 1,140 Mw.

SEVERE POWER CRISIS IN UP

• Rising energy demands in the state leading to power cuts
   
• Failure of thermal power units due to coal shortage to be blamed
   
• Coal stocks moisten due to rain,leading to lower combustibility and affecting power generation capacity
   
• Current energy demand in UP is 12,500 Mw against total availability of 10,500 Mw
   
• UP CM Akhilesh Yadav had recently requested Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal for more coal supply in Jhansi district.