Summer surprise: Incessant rain brings down power demand in Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Co Ltd (CSPDCL), however, has heaved a sigh of relief. The demand for power has come down at a time the company officials were expecting it to be at a record high

Untimely rain that has been lashing Chhattisgarh in the peak of summer has plunged the power demand in the state.

The state has been receiving rainfall in the evening hours of almost all alternate days in the last fortnight, bringing down the temperature. The maximum temperature in all major cities is reported to be below normal.

“Barring a day or two, the average temperature in the major parts of the state has not crossed 40 degrees Celsius in the last 15 days,” a senior official in the meteorological department said. The condition contrasts Chhattisgarh’s normal weather situation as average temperature during May is at peak, touching 45-46 degrees Celsius, the official added.

The state-owned Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL), however, has heaved a sigh of relief. The demand for power has come down at a time the company officials were expecting it to be at a record high.

“Since temperature has come down, demand of domestic consumers has also plunged,” a CSPDCL official said, adding that farmers’ avoiding to use irrigation pumps due to rainfall has also come as a boon for the company.

The officials are also surprised to see demand coming down to 5000 MW that they had expected to jump to 6500 MW during the season.

The unusual rise in the temperature during the month of March has put the company officials in a fix. The mercury level in the state touched 39 degrees Celsius at the end of March, forcing the authorities to meet the demand that suddenly surged. The average peak load hour of electricity jumped to 6030 MW. The sudden rise in the demand forced the authorities to overdraw power from the central pool.

The CSPDCL is selling the surplus power to other states and earning. But the business will continue till the weekend. The meteorological department has predicted that the mercury level will cross 45 degree Celsius by mid next week.