Ready to ensure sufficient power supply this summer

Bengaluru: The Energy department is fully geared to meet the state’s requirement of 19,000 Mega Watt (MW) power during the upcoming summer months, and there will be no load shedding, Energy Minister, K.J. George announced on Friday.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, after a review meeting with senior officials of the Energy Department, Minister George stated, “Over the past two months, Karnataka has experienced a significant increase in power consumption, leading to an unprecedented demand of 19,000 MW. However, there will be no load shedding, as the state is fully prepared to meet the rising demand during the upcoming summer months.”

“The surge in power consumption is also a positive indicator of broader economic recovery in Karnataka,” underlined Minister George. The state has sufficient electricity to meet the demand and apart from occasional power supply interruptions due to local technical issues, load shedding will not be needed, he asserted.

The Energy Minister said farmers’ agricultural pump sets would receive seven hours of electricity daily, while industrial and household consumers will have a continuous 24-hour supply. “Compared to last year, the electricity demand has significantly increased. On February 27 of last year, the demand was 16,214 MW, whereas on the same day this year, the demand was 17,874 MW.

“This demand has been adequately met. Similarly, steps have been taken to ensure that there will be no issues in supplying electricity in the same manner until the first week of June,” stated Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department, Government of Karnataka

“To further meet electricity demand, an additional 310 MW will be sourced starting March 1. Depending on demand, 100 to 1275 MW will be obtained daily through exchange agreements, and 300 MW will be procured from Punjab. “Additionally, 1000 MW of electricity will be purchased daily until the first week of June.

“While Karnataka is producing more electricity than the current demand, there is no storage facility. To address this, it has been decided to implement storage projects, including a 2000 MW capacity at Sharavathi Pumped Storage, 1600 MW at Varahi Pumped Storage, 1000 MW at Pavagada, and a 2000 MW battery storage project at Ryapte. These initiatives will ensure the state does not face any electricity shortages,” the Energy Minister said.

In certain substations, electricity demand has spiked, leading to overloading, while in other areas, more electricity is available than needed, causing underload.

KPTCL Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey, PCKL Managing Director Snehal Lokhande Sudhakar, BESCOM Managing Director Dr N. Shivashankar IAS, KREDL Chairman T.D. Rajegowda, KREDL Managing Director K.P. Rudrappiah, Managing Director of other ESCOMS, and other department officials attended the meeting.