Hyderabad, August 03: The government’s promise that it would supply power for nine hours to the agricultural sector is becoming hard to keep as the power distributing companies (Discoms) are finding it much difficult to procure additional power.
The distribution companies are already failing to supply power to the industrial and domestic sectors, and are imposing cuts to them. With no opportunity to buy power from other States, they have already expressed their inability to augment the supply for two more hours to the agricultural sector. In case they are compelled to increase power supply to the farm sector, more cuts will have to be imposed on the domestic and industrial sectors.
The government has promised that it will increase power supply to farms to nine hours from seven hours from the second week of July.
But the Discoms could not meet the deadline and are racking their brains on ways and means of honouring the government’s promise to the agriculture
sector.
With hydel generation not picking up, the Discoms are facing scarcity of power. The hydel stations have a capacity to supply about 60 mu every day. But as the water levels in the reservoirs are not up to the mark power generation was scant. Discoms are using the hydel power to meet the peak-hour demand. While the hydel power is not available, the demand for power is increasing day by day. While it was 180 mu in the last week of July it reached 216 mu in the first week of this month.
The thermal and gas-based power generation stations are bearing most of the burden and Discoms are buying about 5 mu power from other States. As the dry spell in the State is continuing, the consumption levels in the domestic sector are raising day by day. With hot weather prevailing in most parts of the State, the domestic consumers are using coolers, fans and airconditioners throughout the day.
Though the government had an installed capacity of about 240 mu, there is a shortfall of about 50 mu because the hydel stations are either non-functional or working below the capacity.
The demand will go up to 55 mu if the government begins to supply power for nine hours power to the agricultural sector. Unless the hydel stations are put to work at their full capacity, the Discoms cannot meet the demand.
The government seems to have so far not given any thought to the augmentation of supply. Still it is hoping that the reservoirs will fill up and the hydel power will come to its rescue. An official of APTransco said that if the monsoon continued to play truant till the second week of this month, the government had to backtrack on its word. Still the power ministry, which is with the chief minister, has not came up with alternative proposal to fulfil the promise.
–Agencies–