Energy supply utility BESCOM is expected to announce a tentative load -shedding schedule on Wednesday or Thursday.
Energy Minister D K Shivakumar had announced on Monday that the state would have to go for power cuts owing to energy shortage.
On Tuesday, one 220 MW unit of the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) and a 1500 MW unit of the Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS) did not generate power. Officials are, however, hoping to revive these units speedily, and prevent load-shedding entirely.
But these units, along with another one of the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL), have failed repeatedly this year and cannot be relied upon, it is said.
BESCOM currently has around 13 areas where it is not able to provide surplus power even if available. This is owing to transmission constraints as the lines connecting the areas are continuously overloaded. As a result, load shedding has been the only way to deal with the issue.
“The upgradation of these lines has been included in the budget for this year. But these issues will take some time to sort out and there is no short-term solution,” a senior official said.
Meanwhile, BESCOM Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey said the details of timings for load shedding are being finalized and would be announced soon.
“We follow a shutdown protocol when there is reduced generation. We shall try and minimise the effect for metros and residential areas.”
Pandey said the demand for power has reduced as it has started raining in a few places and it might be possible to avoid load shedding if the major generating stations were brought back online soon.
bescom looking into ‘`17 cr’ bill
BESCOM has filed a complaint and started looking into the matter of a bill issued to a consumer for Rs 17 crore after media reports highlighted the issue. According to an official, the complaint has been registered and a docket number has been raised. “We will look into the matter and will rectify it,” the official said. BESCOM’s billing system is being developed by IT major Infosys.