No End In Sight To Irking Power Crisis

JK Short Of 780 MW During Peak Hours; Energy Purchase Budget Cut By Rs 400 Crore
Signaling alarming energy crisis in Jammu and Kashmir which has otherwise the potential to generate around 20000-25000 MW by harnessing its water resources, the state is presently short of around 780 MW of electricity.
According to documents in possession of Greater Kashmir, while peak demand of power in J&K was 2600 MW during the last financial year (2012-13), only 1817 MW of energy was made available during this time. This implies shortage of around 783 MW accounting to 30.11 percent of total energy required, which is met by extended curtailments.
Pertinently, Kashmir valley is being subjected to frequent and extended unscheduled power cuts over the past few weeks, pushing seven million souls residing in the region into perpetual darkness.
Curiously, the figures reveal that performance of successive regimes towards bridging the gap between supply and demand has been unimpressive as energy deficiency is hovering around 30% continuously since 2005-06.
In 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, energy requirement during peak hours was around 1800, 1925, 2020, 2120, 2290, 2369 and 2500 MW respectively . Correspondingly, the peak supply was 1242, 1306, 1350, 1340, 1407, 1492 and 1788 MW during these years. Thereby peak deficit was respectively 558 MW (31%), 619 MW (32.69 %), 670 MW (33.17 %), 780 MW (36.7%), 883 MW (38.56%), 877 MW (37.02 %) and 711 MW (28.44%).
Official sources told Greater Kashmir that strict instructions from PDD bosses to maintain so-called “financial discipline” is responsible for the ongoing power crisis gripping the Valley.
According to them, Rs 3975 crore were spent on power purchase last year, but this time “we have been directed not to go beyond allocated amount of Rs 3600 crore on the same.”
“Usually we exceed the budget allocated for making power purchases in view of the growing demand and last year the power purchase bill was around Rs 3975 crore, but this time we cannot go beyond allocated amount in view of stern instructions,” they said, adding this means shortage of around Rs 400 crore budgetary provision than last year.
Pertinently, power purchases from different sources- State owned power projects and Central Power Supply Undertakings– has shown meteoric rise over the years.
In 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 and 2011-12 around Rs 1796 crore, Rs 1545 crore, Rs 1825 crore, Rs 1783 crore, Rs 2543 crore, Rs 2797 crore and Rs 3761 crore were expended on power purchases respectively.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, civil society activist and former president of Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) Shakeel Qalandar said the return of power projects under occupation of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is only panacea to overcome frequent power crisis engulfing the Valley.
“It should be worrisome for all of us to note that the power demand continues to be met through power purchases against the money borrowed from the market. Our new generation is liable to liquidate the growing debt which of late has touched Rs 50000 crore. We all need to rise to the occasion and demand return of power projects from NHPC that could save our entire money used on power purchases,” he said.
“We need to seek explanation from successive governments for their failure to utilize our enormous water resources for generation of power, that would have by now made ours an exporting state in energy rather than importing it,” he added.
Qalandar said the government needs to devise concrete plans in order to meet growing demands as increase in demand is a natural trend.