Loadshedding in more areas: KPTCL

Loadshedding in more areas: KPTCL
The Hindu

RTPS unit II develops snag, shut down

# There is cumulative shortage of 650 MW of power in the State
# 'Loadshedding inevitable to prevent grid collapse'

Bangalore: The unscheduled loadshedding, which is being enforced by Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) in rural areas to tide over the power shortage, has been extended to semi-urban areas and some of the urban areas because the second unit of the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) has been shut down after a technical snag.

The RTPS second unit, with a capacity of 210 MW, is suspected to have developed leak in boiler tube, sources in the KPTCL told The Hindu . This has complicated the power supply scenario in the State, which is facing serious shortage of power.

The problem does not end here. The diesel-based power generation station at Yelahanaka with a capacity of 100 MW has also stopped generation because of short supply of diesel, sources said.

Such a situation has arisen when the two hydel generating units of Nagjhari Power House and another generating unit at the Sharavathy Tailrace Unit have been shutdown for maintenance work.

This has resulted in a cumulative shortage of about 650 MW of power, sources said. To make up for the shortage, KPTCL has been enforcing loadshedding during peak hours in rural areas. But the load shedding had to be extended to not only semi-urban areas, but also in several urban areas to make up for the huge shortfall in availability of power, sources noted.

It would have been possible to manage the power supply situation by enforcing unscheduled loadshedding during peak hours in villages. "But, as the sudden shortfall of power availability is very high, the village loadshedding is not of much help in managing the grid stability." The power supply frequency dips below the danger-level during peak hours because of the gap in demand and supply. The State power grid will collapse if this dip in frequency is not stopped. "Hence, there is no other option but to enforce loadshedding even in some of the urban areas to prevent the fall in frequency," a KPTCL official said.

Bangalore has been kept out of loadshedding as it is the main revenue-generating centre for the power utility, sources said.

Meanwhile, the demand for power is increasing steadily in the State. The consumption stood at 126.87 million units on Tuesday.