Power demand hits new peak in Chhattisgarh as mercury marches north

Power demand surged to its peak in Chhattisgarh as mercury touched 39 degrees Celsius by the end of March in the state.

The weather office predicted that the northward march of mercury would continue and was likely to cross 40 degrees Celsius in the first week of April.

According to a senior officer in the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company, power demand in the state had reached an all-time high by the end of March. The authorities concerned have responded to the rise in power demand by overdrawing electricity from the central pool.

“The average peak load hour of electricity in the past three days has been 6,030 Mw in Chhattisgarh,” the officer said.

The installed power capacity of state-run power companies is 2,840 Mw. Besides, the state government generates 120 Mw from the Bango Hydel project. “To meet the demand, the state government is drawing over 3,000 Mw of power from the central pool,” the officer said.

The authorities had calculated that the peak demand in summer this year would reach 6,500 Mw — about 23 per cent more than last summer. In April-May last year, the peak demand had touched 5,300 Mw.

On the other hand, power projects of Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company (CSPGC) that generate 340 Mw of electricity have been closed without finding an alternate arrangement. In 2018, two units of 50 Mw each in Korba were shut because of high maintenance costs and environmental issues.

In 2020, a 240 Mw power station with two units of 120 Mw each, was shut down citing similar reasons.

Now, the CGPGC has proposed to set up a 1320 Mw power plant in the state. It has already received the environment clearance. However, an official said, it would take another four to five years for the project to be commissioned. However, by that time, the demand in Chhattisgarh would rise further.