Snag in northern grid leads to power crisis
Ambika Sharma

Solan, June 18
Investors in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) and Parwanoo have been forced to sit without work with the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) failing to provide ample power to the industry.

While a daylong power cut has been imposed from 7 am to 5.30 am in the industrial areas today, low voltage led to the assumption that there was not much hope of the situation improving immediately.

SLDC officials, however, said a major fault had occurred in the northern grid that supplied power to the state and the frequency, which was normally supposed to remain at 49.5 hertz, had touched a low of 49 and at times had gone even below that.

This has created an alarming emergency situation and as a member of the central grid, Himachal was now supplying almost 250 MW power to the grid to help maintain its desired frequency.

In this effort, power cuts had been imposed on major consumers, which comprise the industrial belt of the BBN and Parwanoo, while domestic consumers had been left undisturbed.

A major power cut was also imposed from 1.30 am last night till 5.30 pm this evening.

Officials in the board said as against a demand of 22 MVA and 350 MW in Parwanoo and the BBN, respectively, merely 10 MVA and 100 MW were available. The situation had even reached a stage when two substations at Baddi and Barotiwala had to be altogether shut for an hour or so to maintain the grid.

With barely 40 per cent supply available, there was no option but to impose cuts. They were, however, hopeful of the situation improving in the next 24 hours.

The officials stressed that there was no power shortage but owing to the extraordinary situation, they were compelled to provide power to the central grid leading to shortage in the total supply.