VIJAYAWADA:With the early onset of summer this year, the temperatures have been rising steadily in the last 10 days. This has led to an increase in the demand for power as people have been forced to use air-conditioners, air-coolers and refrigerators.
This development has the officials of the Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) worried as any further increase in the demand may force them to impose the much-resented-by-the-public power cuts, according to sources in the power utility.
They told Express here on Tuesday that the present consumption of power in Vijayawada City was 12.3 million units (MUs) a day and that it could go up to 14 MUs a day during the peak summer.
They pointed out that the power consumption in the City in 2014 was just 10.5 MUs a day.
They said that in the last 10 days, with the steep increase in the mercury levels, the demand for power had gone up by 2 MUs with the widespread usage of air-conditioners and refrigerators by the people in the City.
Stating that the refrigerators and the air-conditioners accounted for much of the power consumed in a household, they added that nowadays every average middle class home used at least the refrigerator regularly.
That alone accounted for 25 to 30 per cent of the power consumed, they said.
“When compared to the previous years, there is an increase of 15 per cent power consumption this year. With the soaring temperatures, the usage of air-conditioners has witnessed a spurt increase in the city.
While 65 percent of the people own air-conditioners, more than 75 per cent of the people are having refrigerators in their houses.
The ACs and refrigerators are both high power consumers when compared to electric fans and lights”, said a senior APSPDCL official.
Though the government has promised uninterrupted power supply and officials are confident about the smooth supply of power in the coming months, the supply-demand gap has increased to 15 per cent, compared to the previous years.
“Power cuts will become inevitable if there is a big gap between the demand and supply, but we are taking all measures to fill the gap between them and to provide uninterrupted power supply. If necessary we are ready to purchase power from the Southern Grid”, he said.