CM Abdullah directs J&K officials to address electricity shortage

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday instructed officials to take immediate measures to address power shortages and ensure essential services for residents during the ongoing cold wave.

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Abdullah cancelled all his engagements in Jammu to personally monitor the functioning of the power department in the valley, which has been experiencing intense winter conditions. He chaired a high-level meeting to review the power supply situation in Kashmir and discussed a comprehensive strategy to manage peak electricity demand.

The CM chaired a high-level meeting to review the power supply scenario in Kashmir. He discussed a comprehensive strategy to manage peak electricity demand and directed the officials to maintain efficiency in ensuring reliable supply during the harsh winter season.

Abdullah instructed the power development department to strictly comply with the scheduled curtailment programme and ensure proper publicity of planned outages to keep consumers informed in advance.

He was briefed on the power situation in the valley, including the load curtailment plan and the demand-versus-consumption statistics.

It was highlighted that despite a 7-8 per cent increase in electricity supply compared to the previous year, the extreme cold had caused a significant rise in the load profile, exceeding the available resources.

The situation was further aggravated by record-low power generation due to minimal water discharge in hydroelectric power plants, he was informed. The officials also apprised Abdullah of the department’s interventions to reduce the demand-supply gap.

It was reported that substantial capacity additions had been made since the last winter to meet the increased demand.

Abdullah directed the officials to rationalise the load curtailment programme based on the loss profile of feeders and explore options to enhance the allocation of power supply.

He also laid stress on the importance of equity in providing electricity to all while incentivising law-abiding consumers but ensuring adequate power supply, especially during this period of severe cold, was made available to the general public.