No relief in sight for power pangs
Six thermal units out of operation
Manish Sirhindi
Tribune News Service

Panipat, June 12
There seems to be no relief in sight for power pangs in Haryana as six units of thermal power plants are out of operation. Highly placed sources in Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) said both units at the 600-MW Yamunanagar thermal plant were under a forced shutdown after turbine blade failure. These units are not likely to generate power for the next six months as the turbine rotor of a unit is being sent to China for repairs.

The turbine blades of the 600-MW Khedar thermal plant unit 1 had also been damaged. Both 660-MW units of the Jhajjar thermal power plant are also not producing any power as unit I is under shutdown for general maintenance from May 11 while the other one is down due to coal shortage.

The sources said out of the total 5050 MW of installed capacity, the corporation could generate only 1,738 MW from its own sources. With six thermal units out of operation and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) imposing restrictions on overdrawals from the northern grid, the state is reeling under a severe power shortage.

Under the prevailing circumstances, power cuts have been imposed in urban areas up to a minimum of eight hours. The situation is more alarming in rural areas. The sources said the daily demand for power had already crossed 1300 lakh units. With paddy cultivation in the offing , the demand was likely to soar.

After the CERC directives, the state has restricted the overdrawals to 110 lakh units daily. Despite arranging power from all sources, the state was still facing a shortfall of more than 250 lakh units daily