Date:13/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/13/stories/2007011325600400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Fear of urban loadshedding grips State

B.S. Satish Kumar

BANGALORE: Though a high-level committee of ministers headed by the Chief Minister has been constituted to find ways to tide over power crisis, the fear of urban loadshedding has gripped the State which has already enforced loadshedding in rural areas informally.

Sources in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) told The Hindu that even if the Government is willing to pay a huge amount to buy additional power to prevent loadshedding in urban areas, not much additional power was available in the entire southern region.

The State may require an additional power of 500 MW to 600 MW in about two to three weeks when the power consumption is estimated to reach an all-time high of 140 Million Units a day as against the present level of 125 MUs.

The State was banking on the additional power available with Kerala as all other Southern states are facing a huge shortage of power. But sources said that the delay by Karnataka in approaching Kerala had resulted in that latter entering into an agreement with others for supplying its additional power.

With this, Karnataka is expected to get only 50 MW to 100 MW of power from Kerala that too during only non-peak hours. This step would not help prevent loadshedding during peak hours.

Hence, enforcement of loadshedding in urban areas might be the only option for the KPTCL to prevent the power grid from collapsing in about two to three weeks, sources noted.

Hydel units

The KPTCL is already under pressure as two of the hydel generating units of Nagjhari Power House with a combined capacity of about 250 MW are scheduled to be taken up for maintenance from January 14 to 22.

However, the KPTCL officials maintained that no decision has been taken on the urban loadshedding as of now as the high level committee of Ministers is yet to meet.