Power producers breathe easy with active monsoon

Reservoirs are not full in 12 districts due to scanty rainfall

With the monsoon being active in most parts of the State in the last fortnight, the demand and supply gap of power has come down. As a result, the power utility has decided not to impose the restriction on private generators.  It wanted to make it mandatory for the private generators to sell 50 per cent of power to the State grid, official sources said.

As per section 11 of Electricity Act, the Government can impose restriction on the sale of power by private generators in case of emergency. In the month of May this year when the power crisis had deepened, the utility had imposed a complete ban on selling power through open access. Several power traders had raised concerns against this move as their power  purchase agreements or trading deals would have been in jeopardy. Some of the traders had decided to challenge this move in the court. The order was, however, withdrawn in July with the State receiving good rains.

Reservoir level

But the water level at the major hydel reservoirs is still deficit. This is because the monsoon has been active only in 13 districts, while rainfall in 12 other districts of Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Gadag and Bagalkot has been scanty, as per the data available in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics.

Karnataka Power Corporation Limited Managing Director S M Jaamdar said the monsoon has been weak in the catchment areas of the major reservoirs in the last fortnight. As a result, the water level is low. Water level at Mani dam is 73 per cent of its total capacity, Kali 57 per cent and Varahi 73 per cent. It is only Sharavati which is almost full with 98 per cent water level.

“In the event of the catchment area of these reservoirs receiving good rains in coming days, the power situation will definitely be in a comfortable position. Going by the present water level, it is difficult to say that the situation is comfortable,” he explained.
The good rains have narrowed the demand and supply gap, mainly due to farmers not using their irrigation pump sets. While the supply is around 103 million unit, demand is around 105 mu, officials explained.