Power output dips as snag hits units at 4 key stations

The state is likely to face power cuts for about one week as power generation has been hit in Udupi Power Corporation Limited,(UPCL) Bellary Thermal Power Corporation Limited (BTPCL) and Yermarus Thermal Power Station (YTPS), Raichur district, due to technical snags.

Following the instructions from State Load Dispatch centre, 100MW of load shedding has been initiated in four districts come under the purview of Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited. (Mescom)

After a reduction of 200 MW in supply of power, Mescom said consumers of four districts- Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada must be prepared for power cuts.

Sources in Mescom said Karnataka is facing a shortage of 4,281 MW. So, power cuts would become inevitable till power generation resumes in the units of the three plants.

The allocation of power for Mescom, on a normal course, is 1,300 MW. Of this, Dakshina Kannada district requires 450 to 500 MW, Udupi 250 to 300 MW, Shivamogga 400-450 MW and Chikkamagaluru 250 to 300 MW.

Officials in Mescom told DH that UPCL’s power generation capacity is 1,100 MW and it has two generating units. Each unit generates 550 MW of power. Both the units have stopped functioning due to technical snags. Similarly, one unit in YTPS and three units of BTPS have come to a standstill. So, the gap between demand and supply has widened, causing disruption in supply.

Mescom superintending engineer S G Shashidhar told DH that “following the cut in supply of power to Mescom, we are forced to supply power for pumpsets from 8 am to 4 pm and from 12 midnight to 4 am. So, farmers in the four districts have to bear with the inconvenience. The generating stations may resume work within a week.”

He said Sharavathy generating station in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga district contributes around 23% of the power generated in the state. But continuous power generation there can lead to shortage of water.