Govt: Fix grim power situation

The Delhi government urges the power regulator to step in to prevent shortages from spiralling out of control in an election year, reports Moushumi Das Gupta.

Frustrated over its inability to force power distribution companies to find new sources of electricity to meet the Capital’s rising summer demand, the Delhi government has urged the power regulator to step in to prevent shortages from spiralling out of control in an election year.

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Delhi faces up to six hours of powers cuts a day in peak summer as ACs and fans are switched on to keep the heat away.

Power Secretary Rajendra Kumar has written to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to direct the three private power distribution companies it monitors to arrange adequate power for the summer months. Kumar said the distcoms have cited cash crunch and failure of power agreements with other utilities as the main reasons that could cause more shortfall during summer.

The DERC has now sprung into action and directed the distcoms to tie up for more power. It says the utilities are themselves to be blamed for not making adequate power arrangements.

The regulator had directed the distcoms last year to go for banking arrangement with central/state power utilities. Under this system, distcoms can give their surplus power to other states in winter and get back the power in summer.

“But only NDPL arranged about 300 MW power for the summer through banking, the other two utilities sold off majority of their surplus power,” said a DERC official.

Now, the DERC has facilitated a similar banking arrangement between BSES distcoms and Uttranchal.