Dhanbad in Jharkhand is considered the “coal capital” of the country but the state is reeling under power shortage due to the coal crisis. The shortage in coal supply has worsened the power situation in north India which is reeling under a severe heatwave, resulting in a spike in demand for power.
The entire state of Jharkhand is witnessing power cuts. The energy department calls it “load shedding,” – when electricity supply to one area is cut to supply to another.
In rural Jharkhand, power cut is a part of life but this summer even the cities are not spared.
Perturbed by incessant power cuts in Ranchi, Sakshi, wife of cricketing legend MS Doni, has also tweeted.
She wrote, “As a taxpayer of Jharkhand just want to know why is there a power crisis in Jharkhand since so many years? We are doing our part by consciously making sure we save energy!”
Many districts in Jharkhand had begun witnessing "load shedding" on 22 April. The power cuts in the capital Ranchi and Jamshedpur continue for four to six hours while rural areas are the worst hit.
Reports of lengthy power cuts are pouring in from all across from Hazaribagh to Daltonganj even as the mercury continues to soar.
Jharkhand's Power Supply
Generally, the power demand in Jharkhand is pegged at 1400 MW while in summer it increases by 400 MW to 1800 MW.
Two units of 350 MW capacity of Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL) and 50 MW Inland power generation are supporting the supplies but Jharkhand has been able to produce only 400 MW of electricity.
Modern Power is supplying 180 MW while some electricity is coming from NTPC and NHPC through long-term contracts. The rest of the demand is being fulfilled through spot purchases from the central exchange.
Central Electricity Authority of India (CEAI) had recently conducted a national level meeting in which various states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, and Gujarat raised concerns about the coal supplies and worsening power crisis. The officials from Jharkhand also participated in the meeting from headquarters in Dhurva.
Officials of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) say that they have voiced their demands strongly in the meeting.
“Jharkhand was supposed to get 180 MW out of 500 MW from NTPC’s North Karanpura Project in Chatra and this project should be completed as soon as possible,” they demanded in the meeting.
Increased Power Demand, Coal Supply Hiccups
A delegation of the Jharkhand Congress met JBVNL Managing Director KK Verma on Monday. Congress leader Alok Dubey, who was part of the delegation, claimed that in many areas of capital Ranchi, power cuts are up to 12 hours long. However, JBVNL officials claim that the capital is being supplied with 20 hours of electricity.
JBVNL officials say that there has been a huge surge in power demand due to rising temperatures.
“The general public should not use air conditioners from 6-10 pm and industries should refrain from using electricity from 6 pm to 10 am,” they are advising the people of the state.
Meanwhile, Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL) is not getting the required amount of coal for sufficient electricity generation.
The irony is that a state which supplies most of the indigenous coal to other states has not been able to ensure supplies for itself.
“The load has suddenly increased this year. In the last few years the power load in summer used to increase from 1800 MW to 2300 MW but this year it has jumped to 2600 MW. We are still far from the worst but the problem has started, and it is a nationwide problem which would be felt in coming weeks,” Avinash Kumar, Principal Secretary of Energy Department told The Quint.
(Translated from Quint Hindi by Arvind Singh.)
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