Kashmir lags behind national average in power reliability

Srinagar, Nov 25: Amid an escalating power crisis in Kashmir, the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) finds itself trailing significantly behind the national average in power reliability indices, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

The figures reveal a dismal System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) of 889 and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) of 723.95 for 2022, in stark contrast to the all-India averages of 116.12 for SAIDI and 171.64 for SAIFI.

SAIDI and SAIFI are critical metrics utilised in power system performance analysis, gauging the quality of electricity supply.

Lower values for these indices indicate a more reliable power system with fewer and shorter outages, an essential factor for maintaining an uninterrupted electricity supply to the consumers.

A senior KPDCL official acknowledged that the higher values for SAIDI and SAIFI in Kashmir point to persistent power cuts, exacerbating the ongoing power crisis.

The situation has been further aggravated by reduced power purchases and allegations of power pilferages.

Principal Secretary of the Power Department, H Rajesh Prasad, highlighted in a press conference on Friday that the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses in Kashmir stand at a staggering 58 percent.

“These losses are attributed to power theft, inadequate metering, and low tariff rates,” he said.

Prasad expressed concern over the impact on the efficiency of the power sector, emphasising that the high AT&C losses hinder distribution companies from meeting power purchase expenses, let alone other critical expenditures like Operations and maintenance (O&M) and capital investments.

The absence of smart metering coverage for a significant number of power consumers compounds the challenges faced by the power distribution system.

Furthermore, local power generation from JKPDC-owned power plants has dipped below 300 MW out of a total capacity of 1197 MW, prompting the administration to resort to purchasing power from external generating companies.

Power purchases have become a substantial financial burden for Jammu and Kashmir’s exchequer, with the union territory expending a staggering Rs 55,254 crore on purchasing electricity from external power companies over the last decade.

The official data accessed by Greater Kashmir reveals a consistent increase in the amount spent on power purchases from outside of J&K, reaching Rs 8197 crore for 2021-2022, Rs 7047 crore for 2020-21, and Rs 6987 crore for 2019-20 among others.

As the power crisis deepens, the administration grapples with the dual challenges of improving power reliability and addressing the financial strain caused by escalating power purchase expenses.