New Delhi: Power cuts have been reported from several parts of Uttarakhand, including the state capital Dehradun. The state is running about 350 MW short of electricity during peak hours, and officials said on Friday that limited and controlled cuts are being carried out across different regions. PC Dhyani, Managing Director of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), said the utility is working to keep outages to a minimum. Hydroelectric output has dropped while peak-hour demand keeps climbing, he said.
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"The combined effect of all these circumstances has resulted in a current power deficit of approximately 350 MW in the state during peak hours; consequently, limited and controlled power cuts are being implemented as required," Dhyani said.
Dhyani put the shortage down to weaker output from the state's own hydropower projects and smaller supplies from central hydropower projects. On top of that, demand has surged at peak hours, he said.
At UJVN Limited, the state's hydropower generator, September output is around 170 MW lower than in the same period a year ago. Last September, its average generation during peak hours was about 1,094 MW, Dhyani said. This September, the figure has dropped to roughly 912 MW. Central hydropower stations are also supplying less. Their contribution is down by around 90 MW from the corresponding period last year, he said.
The Tehri Pumped Storage Plant has added to the gap. Two of its units are unavailable for technical reasons, Dhyani said, and their absence takes around 100 MW out of the peak-hour supply.
Dhyani said the problem goes beyond a shortfall in Uttarakhand's own generation. Electricity is in short supply across the country during peak hours too. In daylight, when solar plants are producing, power on the energy exchange is relatively cheap and easy to find. Once evening arrives, availability falls, and prices rise steeply through the evening and night peak, he said. UPCL is still trying to buy power on the exchange to keep outages as low as possible, he added.
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Dhyani said the outages are being timed so that consumers feel them as little as possible.
"The objective of these power cuts is not to disrupt the power supply, but rather to ensure electricity reaches the maximum number of consumers in the state by making optimal and balanced use of the limited available power resources," he said.