Four units shut; State faces mini power crisis

With three units of the Raichur Thermal Plant Station (RTPS) being shut down, the production at RTPS has come down by 670 MW. In addition, a power generating unit at the Bellary plant with a capacity of 500 MW has been shut down for annual maintenance. This unit may begin functioning in October first week, according to KPTCL Managing Director Yogendra Tripathi.

One of the RTPS units has been shut down because of the use of wet coal, while two other units are closed for annual maintenance. These units may not commence functioning immediately. The output of wind mills has reduced by 800 MW. The total production from wind mills is about 2,400 MW. In the peak months of July and August, 1,200 MW to 1,300 MW are generated. But now, this has come down to 400 MW.

On Thursday, the total power production was 148.27 MW. There was unscheduled load-shedding in many parts of the State, including Bangalore. Official sources said that in urban areas, the disruption in power supply is for about an hour.

At present there is no shortage of coal. The RTPS has about 1.90 lakh tonnes of coal stock. Only because of annual maintenance, the production has reduced, said Tripathi.
The government is purchasing 600 MW and tenders have been invited to purchase an additional 500 MW. The tenders have not yet been opened.

Compared to last year, the water levels in the hydel reservoirs are satisfactory. While the storage in Linganamakki is 97 per cent, it is 85 per cent and 95 per cent in the Supa and Mani reservoirs respectively. The present water availability will help generate 28.60 million units per day till next June.