Date:10/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/10/stories/2008101060010900.htm

Other States - Puducherry

“Drop in Central allocation of power to Puducherry by around 70 p.c.”

Rajesh B. Nair

Puducherry alone requires around 260 MW a day
Allocation from NLC, Kaiga station on the decline since 2004

PUDUCHERRY: There has been a substantial reduction in Central allocation of power to the Union Territory during the last several months, according to senior officials in the Electricity Department.

“Owing to monsoon failure and shortage of fuel for power generation, the Central allocation has been reduced by around 70 per cent. However, we have been able to manage the situation through internal adjustments,” they said. The territorial administration had apprised the Union Ministry of Power of the situation arising out of the shortage, they added.

The power demand of the Union Territory, including all the four regions, was 382.9 mega watt a day. Puducherry alone required around 260 mega watt. Except for 32 MW generated from gas-based power plant at Karaikal, majority of the requirement was met through allocation from Central power stations, the officials said.

Statistics available with the Electricity Department revealed that power allocation from Central generating stations such as the Neyveli Lignite Corporation and the Kaiga Atomic Power Station had been on the decline since 2004. The NLC, one of the major suppliers of power to Puducherry, supplied 525.280 million units in 2007-08, where as it supplied 613.824 million units in 2004-05. The supply came down to 592.532 million units in 2005-06.

Likewise, the power supplied by the Kaiga station came down to 53.463 million units in 2007-08 from 60.646 million units in 2005-06. The total power provided by the Kaiga station in 2004-05 was 67.059 million units.

While there was a gradual increase in the quantum of power supplied by the National Thermal Power Corporation in 2005-06 compared to the year before, it came down during 2007-008. The NTPC allocated 883.956 million units in 2004-05, 1108.721 million units in 2005-06 and 120.085 million units in 2007-08.

On the other hand, the allocation from the Madras Atomic Power Station had shown a steady rise from 2004. Other sources for power made through internal adjustments with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board for the Puducherry and Karaikal regions and the Kerala State Electricity Board for the Mahe region have been in a comfortable position in the last four years.

Electricity Department’s consumer database showed that there had been a marginal increase in all segments of users. The number of consumers in its domestic services went up to 2, 07, 309 as on March 2008, from 1, 86, 366 in 2006. Likewise, the number of consumers in its “One hut one bulb service” and commercial, agriculture, low tension industrial services category had substantially increased during the last three years.