At 420 MW, city power demand all-time high

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 15

The power demand spiked to 420 MW amid hot and humid weather conditions on Thursday, which is the all-time high so far. Last year, the power demand had peaked to 401 MW. The sudden increase in the demand has made the task of the Power Department difficult. MP Singh, Superintending Engineer of the department, said despite the record increase in the demand, they ensured that residents did not face power outages.

He said the demand was expected to reach 400 MW this summer and they were fully prepared to meet it. The increase in the power quota from 10 per cent to 14 per cent has also helped the department meet the rising demand.

At present, the UT gets 330 MW of power from different sources. The UT does not have its own power generation plant. The department purchases power from Power Trading Corporation, GMR, JSW and NTPC.

Officials said if the demand increased further, the department would procure electricity from the power exchange at the current rates.

Meanwhile, though the department has not imposed any power cut, residents of many sectors have started facing power outages due to snags caused by supply issues. Officials said the demand peaked in the afternoon. The peak demand was recorded at 4 pm on Thursday as the humidity level soared.

Zirakpur swelters due to outages

Zirakpur: Despite the augmentation of the 66kV sub-station at Dhakoli, residents in parts of Zirakpur are facing power cuts, stretching from six to seven hours. Krishna Enclave, AKS Colony and Shiva Enclave are facing power cuts since Thursday. Technical glitches in transmission lines during peak hours further added to people’s misery.

• Even posh areas like Shivalik Vihar and Aero Homes were not spared of power outages, spanning from two to three hours. The situation in Baltana was no different. 
• Monica Rai, a resident of Krishna Enclave, said the power supply was cut off on Thursday around 11 pm. it was restored only on Friday noon. During these hours, the residents lodged complaints with the authorities, only to be told that cables were being laid in the area. 
• Meanwhile, long power cuts, stretching up to eight hours, forced residents of AKS Colony to take to the road in protest against the authorities on Thursday night.
• When contacted, NS Rangi, XEN, Zirakpur, said power cuts might be the result of minor technical glitches, not due to overload. OC