Kashmir plunges back into power crisis | Electricity ebbs, outages escalate

Srinagar, Feb 24: The power allocation to Kashmir has dipped drastically in recent days, leading to widespread unscheduled load shedding across the Valley.

According to details gathered by Greater Kashmir, the power supply to Kashmir has fallen below 1200 MW for most of the day, while peak demand exceeds 2000 MW.

This implies a daily shortfall of over 800 MW during large portions of the day.

A senior official of the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the power situation in Kashmir was “back to square one” after a period of relatively stable supply.

“For around 19 hours, power allocation is about 1200 MW and for 5 hours is around 1500 MW, while peak demand goes above 2000 MW,” he said.

“The problem which was prevalent in December, when the allocation was much less than the demand, has again surfaced,” the official said. “It is mainly due to less power being purchased, resulting in a deviation from the curtailment schedule.”

The curtailed supply has forced KPDCL to implement widespread, unplanned power cuts across Kashmir.

The residents in Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag, and other districts reported extended outages through day and night.

“Due to limited power availability and resulting restrictions, there has been an unavoidable increase in power curtailment. This is crucial to uphold grid discipline and prevent the opening of trunk lines and widespread blackouts. Rest assured, restrictions will be eased once power availability improves. We urge the people to refrain from power theft and use electricity responsibly,” KPDCL posted on its official handle on X.

Officials said that power purchases had dipped again due to the high costs charged by power generation companies (Gencos).

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a KPDCL executive said, “Though KPDCL staff during inspections and drives against power thefts has been able to reduce losses, what can be done when allocation from the transmission side is less? To reduce the burden on the grid, we have no other option than to resort to load shedding.”

The officials said KPDCL had taken up the matter with higher authorities and sought a regular power allocation to meet the demand, particularly during the upcoming fasting month of Ramadan.

“Another reason confronting the power scenario in J&K is less generation from power plants during the winter months,” the KPDCL executive said. “However, we are optimistic that the allocation will improve in the coming days to meet the power demand.”

Business owners have also raised concerns over potential losses due to the ongoing blackouts.

Iftikhar A Drabu, a Srinagar resident and a civil engineer with over 15 years of experience in the hydro sector in India and China, wrote on his social media handle, “Pre Mohra days are here. Today from 8:30 am till 8 pm we have had electric supply for a total of 40 minutes in two tranches of 20 minutes each - power shutdown without any prior intimation or public announcement.”

Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) President, Aijaz Shahdhar criticised the continuing electricity shortages plaguing businesses in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir.

“Despite the installation of smart meters and hiking of power tariffs, unscheduled power cuts continue to haunt people in Kashmir,” he said.

Shahdhar stressed that businesses were among the worst affected by the unreliable electricity supply.

“Most business activities are run on electricity, and the unavailability of electricity derails the entire process,” he said.

The KTA president said that their organisation had taken up the matter with the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) Chief Engineer and sought his intervention to address the persistent power crisis.

He said that frequent electricity outages had long been a source of frustration for the residents and the businesses in Kashmir.

Despite assurances and efforts by the authorities to improve the situation, intermittent blackouts continue to disrupt daily life and commercial activities in J&K.