Srinagar, Nov. 27: The Kashmir Valley is experiencing a worsening power outage due to growing worries about the increasing discrepancy between the agreed-upon demand of 2171 MW of energy and the real power allotment, which is negatively impacting locals and businesses.
Greater Kashmir has obtained official data that highlights the gravity of the situation. The data shows that the agreed load, which is 2171 MW according to Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL), has been steadily rising from 1911 MW in March 2021 to 2045 MW in 2022 and finally to the current agreed load of 2171 MW in 2023.
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Conversely, the power allotment in Kashmir has significantly decreased from the mutually agreed-upon load, averaging between 1400 and 1500 MW for the last several weeks.
KPDCL officials claim that because of this glaring discrepancy, there is a serious power issue, which has prompted the organization to look for remedies.
KPDCL has petitioned the Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to raise electricity rates, and the commission has agreed to do so by fifteen percent.
But because the government exempted 15% of the ED, the raise would have little effect on the general public.
But the appeal also pointed out that the number of users and the power purchase projection were expected to soar, with a projected rise from 12.27 lakh in 2023 to 13.28 lakh in the fiscal year 2024–2025.
The KPDCL’s petition, in particular, highlights a change in the demographics of consumers: fewer people are anticipated to be metered, while more people are expected to be unmetered.
The Administrative Council (AC), presided over by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, met and took important action to alleviate the power shortage after realizing how urgent the situation was.
The AC authorized the acquisition of an extra 500 MW of firm power from the Ministry of Power (MOP) in order to satisfy J&K’s base load power needs.
In order to satisfy the demand throughout the winter, the Electricity Finance Corporation (PFC) acquired an extra 500 MW of firm electricity from MOP in B(v) mode, which was approved by the AC.
In addition, a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for NTPC’s Singrauli-III thermal power facility was signed between J&K Power Corporation Limited (JKPCL) and NTPC with the approval of the AC.
With the winter months approaching and hydrogen production drastically decreasing, this action attempts to close the gap between supply and demand for electricity.
“There is no denying that the need for electricity is rising steadily. The whole weight of AT&C’s losses cannot be placed on customers. There are infrastructure losses, power theft, and other issues that need to be addressed; the regions that have been completely metered are not experiencing any losses, so the blame for the authorities’ inability to finish metering on time falls with them, according to a senior KPDCL official.
J&K’s electricity consumption is expected to rise significantly, according to the Eighteenth All India Electricity Survey, which projects an increase from 1706 MW in 2004–05 to 4217 MW by 2021–2022.
The existing power allocation from both foreign-producing firms and local power production falls far short of servicing the region’s energy needs, notwithstanding the predictions.
According to research by the Central Electricity Authority, J&K is expected to experience a peak power demand of 3150 MW in 2022–2023. This highlights the urgent need for prompt action to resolve the power crisis and provide a steady supply of electricity for the Valley.
