Amidst shortage of power in the face of poor monsoon in the State, Electricity Supply Companies (Escoms) in Karnataka will receive an extra 1,100 MW of power from private power generators. The State government has invoked Section 11 of the Electricity Act under national disaster management to procure electricity from power generators in the State, which is currently facing a shortage of 1,500 MW.
On Monday, Energy Minister K.J. George conducted a review session with the heads of the Escoms to assess the current situation. Addressing the media, Mr. George said that the government was actively procuring additional power from the grid to cope with the surging demand.
Supply to farmers
“Despite a 40% increase in production from last year, there remains a deficit of 1,500 MW. Consequently, farmers will receive three-phase power supply for five hours daily. The supply will be distributed in a staggered manner on a rotational basis. This measure has been necessitated by the fact that irrigation pumpsets (IP sets) are the largest consumers of power in the State,” he said.
“The Union government has agreed to augment Karnataka’s share in the central grid, effective from December 1. To address immediate power generation needs, Section 11 has been invoked with the objective of securing an immediate power supply of 1,000-1,100 MW,” he added.
Stating that the power deficit was not a Karnataka specific phenomenon this year, he said, “The deficit (in Karnataka) is attributed to natural calamities, including drought, a shortfall in wind energy, and cloud cover. Nevertheless, we have effectively managed this situation by procuring power from the grid. We have taken significant steps, by identifying 400 substations, out of which 230 are in progress. We are on track to procure power from KUDAGI by December 1, and we have also established a barter system with Punjab and U.P.,” he added.
Mr. George noted that in the same period last year, the demand ranged from 8,000-8,500 MW during August-September, but this year, the demand has surged dramatically to 15,000-16,000 MW. “Currently, the State’s generation from thermal and hydro sources stands at 1,100-1,300 MW. Between April 23 and October 15, 2023, the State incurred an expenditure of ₹1,102 crore to purchase 1,627 MU of power from external sources through power exchange. During this timeframe, the State earned ₹265 crore by selling 636 MU through the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).”
Solar power parks
The State government has also made the decision to solarise irrigation pumpsets (IP sets), a move expected to benefit farmers. “With 3.5 lakh farmers in the State, the plan includes the establishment of 400 substations generating 3,000 MW of power. The decision stipulates that any substation located within 500 metres from the grid must be transformed into a solar substation. We are working on expanding the solar power park in Pavagada from its current capacity of 2,300 MW to adding another 2,000 MW in 10,000 acres. Solar power parks will also be set up in Gadag and Kalaburagi,” the Minister added.
Apart from this, the government has chosen to blend 10% imported coal with domestically sourced coal to tackle quality issues. Mr. George stated, “The government is also actively engaged in establishing pumped storage facilities in Sharavathi, collaborating under the PPP model with several companies, including Jindal,” he added.
Powercuts in parks: Residents’ outcry on social media
The Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of Indiranagar, I Change Indiranagar, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and claimed that Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is disconnecting power in BBMP parks located in Indiranagar and Defence Colony in east Bengaluru.
On X, the RWA queried Bescom, asking if the power cuts were due to unpaid bills and stated, “This is absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous when the area falls under category A of BBMP property tax!!”
However Bescom clarified that the power outage is not caused by them. ML Nagaraja, Chief General Manager, (OP), told The Hindu, “Bescom supplies power to lights in parks and street lights, but BBMP is responsible for their maintenance, including turning them on or off. We have not halted power supply to BBMP parks.”
