The Biz Reporter
Jammu, Apr 27: In order to meet the increasing electricity demand in Jammu & Kashmir, the Union Government has allocated 207 MW additional Power to the Union Territory.
Principal Secretary, to the Lt Governor & PDD, Shri Nitishwar Kumar said that the order issued by the Union Ministry of Power will substantially increase the availability of power in J&K.
Pertinently, the Union Government has allocated additional power from the unallocated quota of Central Generating Stations of Northern Region Pool to Jammu & Kashmir.
The order in this regard will come into the effect from midnight and the UT is expected to receive the additional supply by tomorrow.
J&K’s Power Development Department is also making dedicated efforts on all fronts to meet the rising demand for the power supply in the UT, exploring practical and viable solutions to address the needs of the end consumers.
It was informed that, between 1st to 25th April, the Power Development Department allocated additional Rs.52 Crore to purchase power from the open market, also known as Energy Exchange, however, due to increased number of bidding, electricity worth only Rs.10.41 Crore could only be supplied to the Union Territory of J&K.
Owing to the early onset of summer and an unprecedented heatwave in the month of March and April, experienced for the first time in the last 122 years and 50 years respectively, the Power Development Department took the decision to place maximum bid at the energy exchange to meet the shortfall amidst the surging power demand. Eventually, the additional allocation was made in March to ensure maximum power supply.
The Power Development Department is also ensuring optimal output from available power sources. However, it is pertinent to mention that thermal plants account for 70% of the country’s power generation capacity. Thermal and Hydropower contribute 50%-50% to meeting the demand of the Union Territory of J&K. Hydropower plants operate at reduced capacity during the month of March and April due to the accumulation of snow which starts melting only in the month of May.
