Uttar Pradesh may become a power surplus state for the first time in its history, a report by the country’s apex government body dealing with the power sector indicates.
Many other states are already in this club. Uttar Pradesh used to battle a demand-supply gap as high as 20%-25% till only three-four years ago.
But the move from a deficit state to a surplus one is the result of initiatives taken in the field of generation in the last decade or so here and elsewhere in the country. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has forecast that the state will have surplus electricity, though marginally during the current financial year 2017-18.
The CEA’s latest annual load generation balance report (LGBR) released on Saturday says UP is likely to have both peaking and energy surplus on an annual basis in 2017-18. Other states/union territories falling in this category are Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Odisha, West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Sikkim.
Uttar Pradesh is expected to experience an average electricity demand of 17,720 MW during the year against the projected power availability of 17,866 MW. This means there will be surplus power of 146 MW, which will be 0.8% more than the expected peak load.
{{/usCountry}}Uttar Pradesh is expected to experience an average electricity demand of 17,720 MW during the year against the projected power availability of 17,866 MW. This means there will be surplus power of 146 MW, which will be 0.8% more than the expected peak load.
{{/usCountry}}In April, September, October and December this year and January 2018, the state may have a nominal peak demand-supply gap of 205 MW, 60 MW, 60 MW, 297 MW, and 505 MW, respectively. Otherwise, UP will have surplus energy throughout the year, the report says.
The surplus power in November is expected to be the highest at 3,329 MW or 25.5% more than the demand. Similarly, the surplus may be to the tune of 1,036 MW and 1,774 MW in August this year and March 2018.
“The peak demand-supply gap has always prevailed in UP, which is not known to ever have surplus power during any year in the past as far as I can think, though the power deficit started growing especially from 1988-89,” All-India Power Engineers’ Federation chairman Shailendra Dubey recalled.
He said it was quite possible for UP to be a power surplus state now because of abundant generation.
“For the first time, power generation is exceeding the demand in the country,” he said.
“But this has not happened suddenly. It is a result of efforts made during last one decade by successive governments at the Centre and in the state,” he added.
The all India power supply position, according to the LGBR, indicates that the country is likely to have a peak surplus of 6.8% and energy surplus of 8.8 %. Surplus energy is anticipated to the degree of 7.4%, 13.0%, 9.8% and 3.0% in the southern, western, northern and north-eastern regions respectively. The eastern region is likely to face a minor energy shortage of 0.2% which, according to the report, can be met from surplus power in other regions. The peaking surplus is likely to prevail in northern, western, southern, eastern and north-eastern regions to the tune of 6.7%, 17.2%, 1.0%, 10.0% and 2.7% respectively.
The CEA forecast says that eight states/union territories will have energy deficit and 14 states/UTs will have peak deficit of varying degrees. Further, 26 states/ UTs will have net surplus energy and 20 states/UTs will have peak surplus on an annual basis.
Does it mean there may be no power cuts in UP this year? Not necessarily. The availability of surplus power alone does not guarantee freedom from load shedding. “While there may be surplus power in the state, people may still be subjected to unscheduled rostering off and on largely because of transmission and distribution bottlenecks, including burning of overloaded transformers and bursting of over-heated cables,” Dubey explained.
In fact, it is due to local breakdowns that complaints of power cuts are coming in from various parts, including the state capital, though the demand-supply gap is marginal these days.
“But the situation is certainly improving every year because of enhancing electricity generation and now there is no hue and cry over power cuts anywhere unlike a few years ago when the state would witness power riots of sorts every summer,” Dubey said.