JOIN US The second unit of Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) stopped generating power on Monday apparently due to shortage in supply of coal, further aggravating the power problem in the State.
According to the State Load Dispatch Centre figures, UPCL unit 1 produced 511 MW of power while the second unit failed to generate any power on Monday. Bescom officials stated that the problem of coal shortage will be resolved in the next couple of days.
The UPCL had stopped generating power in both the units citing coal shortage earlier this year. However, the problem was temporarily resolved due to the intervention of the chief minister and the State government.
The electricity supply companies (Escoms) owe over Rs 1,400 crore to UPCL as on January 2013. The private power generating company has been locked in a pitched battle with the Escoms on fixing the tariff for the amount of power it supplies.
Bescom had decided to settle its bill of Rs 99 crore to UPCL in a bid to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the examination time.
Sunday night’s rain posed major challenges to Bescom in ensuring uninterrupted power supply. Bescom officials dispatched close to 150 teams for restoration of power across the City. The City suffered power outages at several places including Malleswaram, Jayanagar, Sadashivanagar and Bangalore North due to the rain. According to officials, Bescom received over 3,000 calls from people complaining of power failure since Sunday night.