In order to meet the increasing electricity demand in Jammu and Kashmir, the Central government on Wednesday allocated 207MW additional power to the Union territory, officials said. The Union government has allocated the additional power from the unallocated quota of Central Generating Stations of Northern Region Pool to Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesman said.
The order issued by the Union ministry of power in this regard will come into effect from midnight and the UT is expected to receive the additional supply by Thursday, the spokesman said.
Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, said in a statement that after the power ministry’s order, the availability of electricity in the Union territory will substantially increase.
UT’s Power Development Department (PDD) is also making dedicated efforts on all fronts to meet the rising demand for electricity, exploring practical and viable solutions to address the needs of the end consumers, the spokesman said.
The PDD has allocated additional ₹52 crore between April 1 and 25 to purchase power from the open market, also known as Energy Exchange.
However, due to increased number of biddings, electricity worth only ₹10.41 crore could be supplied to the Union territory, the officials said.
The early onset of summer and an unprecedented hot weather conditions in the months of March and April, experienced for the first time in the past 122 years and 50 years, respectively, have raised the power demand in the Jammu division, the officials said.
In April 2021, the power demand for Jammu division was 830MW per day, which has increased to 900MW this year. The PDD is using all its resources, including purchases from the Energy Exchange, to ensure the supply of 770 MW to the Jammu division, the spokesman said.
He said hydropower plants operate at reduced capacity during March and April due to the accumulation of snow, which starts melting only in May.
In the light of the increasing power demand in the UT, Kumar, who is also the principal secretary of PDD, is reviewing the position of power availability on an hourly basis.
A meeting was also held on Wednesday, in which senior officials of PDD were present.
After detailed deliberations in the meeting, Kumar directed for the deployment of middle management level officers at grid stations to monitor the power schedule.
He also advised that the area-wise power-cut schedule be communicated to the public using all available platforms, the statement said.
