Power demand peaks, outages get longer in Gautam Budh Nagar

Noida’s power demand increased by 478.4 megawatts (MW) in the past two months, reaching a peak power demand of 1,310MW on May 22

NOIDA/GREATER NOIDA

The state, overall, also hit a peak power demand of 30,648MW on June 17, which was previously 28,284MW on July 24, 2023. (HT Photo)

Power cuts continue to exacerbate summer woes for residents of Noida and Greater Noida, with residents across the cities alleging long outages, up to seven to eight hours in sectors 53, 68 and 76, residents said.

Officials of Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) said Noida’s power demand increased by 478.4 megawatts (MW) in the past two months, reaching a peak power demand of 1,310MW on May 22. The state, overall, also hit a peak power demand of 30,648MW on June 17, which was previously 28,284MW on July 24, 2023.

According to Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), power demand has been on the rise since June 1 across the state, steadily clocking 29,322MW on June 1, 28,456MW on June 2, 28,648MW on June 3 and 29,344MW on June 4, reaching 29,263MW on June 8 and peaking at 30,618MW on June 13, before again reaching record level on June 17.

According to PVVNL, the discom, the highest power demands over the past three years in Noida were 1,220MW, clocked in July 2021, 1,461MW in June 2022 and 1,547MW in July 2023.

PVVNL Noida’s chief engineer Rajiv Mohan said, “On April 1, power demand was recorded at 831.6MW, while on May 22, this increased by 478.4MW. In the current financial year, the highest power demand so far was recorded on May 22, at 1,310MW and we are speculating that it will see an increase in July, when the power demand typically hits its yearly peak, as humidity sets in along with heat.”

There are a total of 234,617 registered power consumers in Noida under PVVNL’s jurisdiction.

According to the information from Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL), the power distributor in Greater Noida that caters to around 170,000 consumers, the discom saw its highest power demand on June 18, at 775MW, while the peak demand of 757MW was recorded on May 29.

“On June 18, NPCL successfully met the highest power demand of 775MW. We have good arrangement in place and have sufficient power to meet the peak demand,” Sarnath Gangult, senior vice president (operations), NPCL, said.

According to NPCL, the peak demand in 2023 was recorded on August 21, at 652MW, while in 2022, it was 592MW, recorded on September 9, and in 2021, it was recorded on July 7, at 522MW, preceded by 448MW on August 10, 2020, and 433MW on July 11, 2019.

Meanwhile, residents complained of power cuts in sectors 50, 55, 56, 71, 104, 117 and 122, among other areas.

“Power supply was interrupted for seven hours in Amrapali Silicon City, Sector 76, Noida. There is no relief in sight,” said Gaurav Khera, a resident.

“With slight weather changes, power supply is interrupted for hours here,” said Abhishek Kumar, a resident of Sector 53.

Gitesh Kumar, a resident of Shahberi, said, “Power cuts are rampant and often last for around two hours in Shahberi, Greater Noida. We have been appealing to the department to resolve the problem.”

Power department officials attributed outages to overheating of the supply network. “Local faults continue to take place amid high temperatures as this leads to heating up of the supply network resulting in temporary outages,” the chief engineer said.