NEW DELHI, 7 May 2006 — The acute power shortage in northern Indian states with temperatures soaring over 44 degrees Celsius is likely to ease with the availability of 1,600MW more electricity from Himachal Pradesh’s Naptha Jakhri plant, Power Secretary R.V. Shahi said here yesterday.
“The action taken to maintain grid frequency has started yielding results in May. With 1,600MW becoming available from Naptha Jakhri in Himachal Pradesh, the situation should improve,” Shahi told reporters after a review meeting with representatives from northern states including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.
The federal government has decided to seek any excess power available with captive power producers with the rates having been notified for sale of power to the grid, said Shahi. “In addition, by May end we should start getting power from Tehri and another 250MW from a wind farm of Rajasthan as by then the wind conditions will become favorable,” he said.
With the power situation critical, power utilities have been asked to defer their maintenance shutdown to tide over the crisis. Shahi said that while the deferment is not ideally advisable, it is being done keeping in view the distress of the people and industry, which are facing repeated power cuts.
Despite the additional power supply to the northern power grid, the situation is likely to remain grim for a couple of weeks more, admitted top officials who attended yesterday’s meeting. Another review will be held May 31. “In the case of Delhi, the additional power availability will bring down the shortfall to 300MW from 450MW,” said Delhi Power Secretary Rakesh Mehta.
At the meeting, state representatives promised to take steps to reduce wastage of power and reduce peak demand.
While Uttar Pradesh, which has been the main culprit in terms of over utilization of power from the northern grid, has notified that all commercial establishments and shops would have to close by 7 p.m., the Delhi government is yet to take similar action after facing a strike threat by traders, said Mehta.
Appealing to consumers to abide by the new guidelines to reduce the peak demand and overall power consumption, Shahi said people’s cooperation was vital to tide over the crisis.
At least 14 people have been killed by a heat wave sweeping across northern and eastern India. The deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh and eastern Orissa state since Friday, where temperatures topped 45 degrees Celsius in many towns and cities, the NDTV reported.
Heat wave conditions in Uttar Pradesh intensified over the past few days claiming five lives. Temperatures hovered between 37 and 43 degrees in many towns and cities. Jhansi at 46 degrees was the hottest town in the state. At least nine people died of sunstroke in Angul, Sambalpur and four other districts of Orissa. There were reports of 38 deaths in the state but these were not officially confirmed.
