Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 11: The state government Monday said electricity consumers in the state are unlikely to face load shedding or power cuts during peak hours this summer.
“As we have good amount of water in all the reservoirs, there is no possibility of power cuts in evening this summer,” energy secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra told the media. He said the state’s requirement of power could easily be met from both the hydro and thermal sectors.
Claiming that the power situation in the state was “comfortable”, Mohapatra said the state hoped a good rainfall this time too. “We can manage the reservoir till July 30 for electricity generation. If there is no good rainfall by July 30, problem may arise,” he pointed out.
Mohapatra, however, hinted at power cut during day time in certain areas for equal distribution of electricity to new and commercial consumers.
Sources in the Gridco, the state’s bulk power supplier, said the state power trading utility is in a position to meet power demand up to 4,000 MW as against current peak demand of 3,850 MW.
While the average availability from hydro power stations is 600 MW, the state has the advantage to draw peaking power of about 1,400 MW during the evening peak when the demand goes up to 3,900 MW. The average power demand of the state is about 3,200 MW.
The NTPC-owned Talcher Thermal Power Stations (TTPS) and the state-run Ib Thermal Power Station are generating more than 800 MW as against an installed capacity of 880 MW.
Meanwhile, Sesa Sterlite’s Jharsuguda thermal power plant is supplying more than 500 MW and the state is getting about 200 MW from the GMR Energy’s Kamalanga plant in Dhenkanal district.
This apart, the Gridco is purchasing about 200 MW from other independent power projects (IPPs) and captive generating plants operating within the state. The state has also been drawing power from the Central pool. The state’s share from the Central pool is about 1,000 MW, they said.
