7 May 2012
Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)
Rajesh Moudgil [email protected]

Less power makes summer harsher

CHANDIGARH: The claims of Haryana’s powerbody, Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL), notwithstanding, the state is likely to bear a harsher summer this time as three of its thermal units with a total generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW) would be non-functional for the next two months.

While senior officials of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited claim that efforts were on to generate and buy adequate power to meet the demands of all consumers, the ground situation is that a power plant in Yamunanagar that produces 600-MW electricity and a 600-MW producing unit of a power plant in Hisar are out of order. HPGCL has power plants that produce a total of 3,230.5 MWS.

Of this, the power body, at present, is only generating 2,030-MW electricity.

The entire Yamunagar plant stopped operations on March 31 after unit 1 of the plant developed a snag. The other unit of the plant comprising two units was damaged in September last year.

The Yamunanagar pl a nt is expected to begin operations mid-june. In the 1,200MW Hisar plant that has two units, the out-of-order unit had developed a glitch in a turbine in April.

Special secretary (power) Tarun Bajaj said the power utilities were prepared to supply 8% to 10% more power than the previous year. To add to the woes of HPGCL, Coal India reportedly refused to sign agreements with units commissioned after December 31, 2011. Apart from the 600-MW thermal power plant in Yamunanagar and the 1,200-MW Hisar power plant, there is a six-unit thermal power plant in Panipat that produces 1367.8-MW electricity and a hydel project in Yamunanagar producing 62.7 MW.

Sources in HP GCL say the Panipat plant is generating power satisfactorily. To meet the demand, HPGCL officials said the 30-day annual overhauling of a 210-MW unit in the Panipat plant has been rescheduled from May to July.

HPGCL sources said a unit of a 1,320-MW power plant in Jhajjar that has been commissioned will begin operations shortly. The 660-MW unit has been under forced shutdown due to non-availability of coal.