UP facing unprecedented power crisis

Thermal power units shut over coal shortage

Even as war of words between the Centre and Akhilesh Yadav government escalates over coal supply to Uttar Pradesh power plants, the powersituation continues to be grim. Coal supply shortage has led to temporary shut down of several thermal power units, while other units are facing similar fate unless their depleting coal reserves are replenished early.

The state has blamed the Centre for not giving adequate coal supply to existing power plants plunging UP into unprecedented power crisis. Of late, the chief minister had been writing to the Centre seeking greater coal supply for thermal power units. Recently, two proposed power plants to be set up by Torrent Power (1,320 Mw in Sandila) and Bajaj Hindusthan Group (Lalitpur extension project 1,980 Mw) had withdrawn from projects due to lingering delays in getting coal linkage.

In his fresh letter to union minister of state (independent charge) for power and coal Piyush Goel, Yadav has sought long term power linkage forseven power plants totaling 7,040 megawatt (Mw) capacity proposed under thememorandum of understanding (MoU) route. Nine entrepreneurs had signed MoUs with the state government during the previous Mayawati regime to establish power plants of 10,340 Mw capacity. These required long term coal linkage of 25 years. Noting that a meeting of union coal ministry's linkagecommittee was long overdue, the CM lamented representations of these developers seeking coal linkage had come to a naught so far.

Now, the state wants the remaining seven projects to stay afloat, including the 1,980 Mw Lalitpur project, so as to enablecommissioning of its first unit of 660 Mw by July 2015. He said unit I of this plant had been provided only with ad hoc long term coal linkage so far. Yadav mentioned UP was facing acute power shortage of power. Meanwhile, the power generation of state owned power plants has dipped to 1,700 Mw and UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is importing almost 6,400 mw from central sector, besides procuring power from energy exchange to the extent of 1,500 Mw.

Together with power generation from hydropower units, private sector and bilateral arrangement, the total power availability in UP is roughly 10,000 Mw against the demand of over 13,000 Mw. As a result, the state is facing long hrs of power cuts withrural areas getting only about 6 hrs of power every day. Even the big citiesare facing long power cuts.