Dry spell in state forces power cuts

HYDERABAD: Though monsoon has arrived, the state is yet to get relief from power cuts thanks to scanty rainfall. It is experiencing shortage of about 5 to 8 million units (MU) per day forcing the power distribution companies (Discoms) to impose power cuts for about two to four hours in rural areas and for about an hour in urban areas.The power crisis arose with officials stopping the power generation at Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam hydel plants in the past few days. Due to scanty rainfall, none of the major reservoirs have received inflows leading to shortage of water. “As a precautionary measure, water available in these reservoirs will be preserved for agricultural needs during Kharif in case the dry spell continues. Therefore, government has ordered to stop power generation at both the hydel plants leading to shortage in power supply,” said an official from APTransco. The state is experiencing shortage of power despite a dip in power usage from about 260 MU per day during this summer to 220 MU per day during this month. As against a requirement of 220 MU, about 212-215 MU of power is supplied everyday for the past few days. In addition to disruption in power generation at both the plants which together have an installed capacity of about 2,500 MW, gas-based power plants are also forced to stall operations due to short supply of gas.  Sources said that power cuts were being imposed in rural areas for 2 to 4 hrs every day and for about an hour in urban areas. “The government is making efforts to ensure that there is no shortage of power to any sector. Power cuts are being imposed in rural areas to a small extent. There are no power cuts in agricultural sector as per the directions of state government,” Transco officials said. They attributed the interruptions in power supply in urban areas to maintenance works during monsoon.