Power generation in Himachal falls by 70%

Shimla, October 27

Power generation has dropped by around 70 per cent in the state in comparison to the peak output time. “The average power generation during the peak time in August-September is around 2,500 lakh units per day. On Tuesday last, the generation dropped to 785 lakh units, a fall of roughly 70 per cent from the peak time,” says Sunandan Kumar, a senior executive engineer at Himachal Pradesh State Load Dispatch Centre.

Reduced water flow in rivers to blame

The drop in power generation is due to a sharp reduction in water flow in rivers. During the peak time, there’s around 405 cumecs of water in the Sutlej. At present, the water flow in the river is 134 cumecs. As a result. power generation has also reduced.

— SJVN official

The generation in SJVN projects, one of the largest hydroelectric power producers in the state, has also dipped to roughly one-third from the peak generation. “Our average per day generation during the peak time is in the range of 450 to 500 lakh units from our projects at Nathpa Jhakri and Rampur. The generation has dropped to around 150 lakh units per day,” says an SJVN official.

He adds, “The drop in generation is due to a sharp reduction of water flow in rivers. During the peak time, there’s around 405 cumecs of water in the Sutlej. At pesent, the water flow has reduced to 134 cumecs. As a result, power generation has also reduced.”

The SJVN official says power generation goes down during the winter as almost all hydroelectric projects are run-of-river projects, with little or no storage facilities at all. “Except BBMB projects and a few others, most of these are run-of-river projects with no storage facility. So, when water discharge reduces, power generation, too, goes down,” he adds.

Despite drastic reduction in generation, there are no power-related problems. The average daily requirement in the state is between 300 and 320 lakh units against generation of over 750 lakh units every day, including the government share.