Vijayawada: 50% load relief to industries

Vijayawada: With the increasing power consumption due to prevailing heat conditions and deficit of 40-50 MU per day, the power distribution companies (discoms) have proposed to go for 50 per cent load relief for the continuous process industries and one day in a week (except power holiday) for the non-continuous process industries for about 15 days. The industries have to utilise power only during the day time, till the demand subsides in the state. The CMDs of discoms are planning load relief to ensure reliable agriculture and domestic supply to the consumers.

The maximum demand of approximately 235 MU was met on April 1 successfully with the available generation resources and market purchases of around 64 MU. The demand registered an increase of 3.54 per cent and 46 per cent on the same day compared to 2021 and 2020 respectively. The increase in demand is primarily due to resumption of economic activities in the state with ease in Covid pandemic conditions. This increase in demand is in line with all India increase; therefore most of the states are relying on power exchanges to meet their electricity consumption.

In the state, after utilising all the long-term generation resources to meet the daily grid demand, there is a deficit of nearly 40-50 MU per day, which has to be met from available power markets either in day ahead or real time. In the recent days, required quantum of power is not getting cleared in the exchanges due to non-availability of power across the country.

Due to unavoidable circumstances, emergency load reliefs had to be implemented to agricultural as well as domestic sectors across the state for few hours in a day. The shortage is seen across the country and most industrial states like Gujarat are implementing Load Reliefs to domestic, agricultural as well as industrial sectors.

Secretary, energy, B Sreedhar reviewed the power supply position in the state and directed the power utilities to implement load reliefs to industrial sector in order to supply power to agriculture consumers so that the standing crops are not affected and to domestic consumers in light of present heat wave conditions prevailing in the state, according to executive director, APTransco.