BENGALURU: The State is likely to witness a power shortage much before the summer sets in. The reason being that power consumption in November is close to the levels seen during summer.
And, in the coming weeks, consumption is likely to increase, resulting in a shortage by the end of February.
The State generates close to 200 million units (MU) of power per day through various stations, including hydro and thermal. A part of it is lost during transmission.
“Demand for up to 210 MU a day can be managed sometimes, but not more than that,” said a senior official of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL).
The State which has spent Rs 24,694 crore and purchased 50,148 MU in the last seven years, will end up buying more power in the coming months, the official said.
As on date, 190 Million Units (MU) of power is consumed every day across Karnataka. “During peak hour, it is 9,800 mega watt (MW),” official. This, according to the official, is close to the power consumption levels during summer. “In summer, on an average 200 MU of power is consumed every day,” the official said.
One of the reasons for the increase in power consumption is the lack of rainfall.
“With no water, farmers tend to use pumpsets for irrigation. On the domestic front, use of A/Cs and fans have also increased because of rise in temperature. This situation will persist during summer as well. With a poor monsoon and winter yet to kick in, power consumption has been on the rise. If the trend continues over the next few months, we might have power cuts in February. We need to utilise power in a more disciplined manner for which public has to cooperate,” the official said.
Kumar Naik, Managing Director, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), said they have stored sufficient water for power generation. “Things are better compared to previous year,” he said.