Kashmir's Power Peril Peaks

Srinagar, Nov 27: The Kashmir Valley is grappling with an escalating power crisis as concerns deepen over the widening gap between the agreed load of 2171 MW of electricity and actual power allocation, adversely affecting residents and businesses.

The official data accessed by Greater Kashmir underscores the severity of the situation, revealing that the agreed load, set at 2171 MW by the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL), has consistently increased from 1911 MW in March 2021 to 2045 MW in 2022, reaching the present agreed load of 2171 MW in 2023.

In stark contrast, the power allocation in Kashmir has fallen far below the agreed load, hovering at a mere 1400 MW to 1500 MW over the last couple of weeks.
This stark disparity has led to a significant power crisis, prompting the KPDCL to seek solutions, according to KPDCL officials.
KPDCL had submitted a petition before the Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), advocating for a power tariff hike which the commission agreed to hike by 15 percent.

However, the hike would not have any impact on people as the government waived off 15 percent ED.
However, the petition highlighted an anticipated surge in power purchase forecast and the number of consumers, projecting an increase from 12.27 lakh consumers in 2023 to 13.28 lakh consumers in the fiscal
year 2024-25.

Notably, the KPDCL's petition reveals a shift in consumer demographics, with the number of unmetered consumers projected to decline while the number of metered consumers is expected to rise.
Recognising the urgency of the situation, the Administrative Council (AC) convened under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, took significant steps to mitigate the power crisis.

The AC approved the purchase of an additional 500 MW of firm power from the Ministry of Power (MOP) to meet the Base Load power requirement of J&K.
The AC also sanctioned the allocation of an additional 500 MW of firm power from MOP in B(v) mode, procured by Power Finance Corporation (PFC), essential to meet the winter demand.

Furthermore, the AC approved the signing of a fresh Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between J&K Power Corporation Limited (JKPCL) and NTPC regarding Singrauli-III, a thermal power station run by NTPC.

This move aims to bridge the gap between demand and availability of power during the winter months when the generation from hydro generators significantly reduces.

“It is a fact that power demand is constantly increasing. We cannot put the entire burden of AT&C losses on consumers. The areas which have been fully metered, are not giving any losses, so the failure to complete metering on time is the fault which lies with authorities, there are infrastructural losses, power pilferage, etc which need to be addressed,” said a senior KPDCL official.

The Eighteenth All India Power Survey has predicted a substantial surge in power demand for J&K, projecting an increase from 1706 MW in 2004-05 to 4217 MW by 2021-22.
Despite the projections, the current power allocation, both from outside generating companies and local power generation, falls significantly short of meeting the region’s energy requirements.

The Central Electricity Authority's report anticipates a peak power demand of 3150 MW for J&K in 2022-23, underscoring the pressing need for immediate measures to address the power crisis and ensure a stable energy supply for the Valley.