Madhya Pradesh Grapples With 800 MW Power Shortfall as Rural Areas Face Unscheduled Cuts
The state is short of about 800 megawatts of electricity, with unscheduled outages hitting villages hardest. Energy Minister Pradhyuman Singh Tomar says generation is being maximised and power will be bought if needed.
Madhya Pradesh is facing a shortfall of about 800 megawatts of electricity, leading to unscheduled power cuts that are being felt most in rural areas, according to reports from Bhopal published by the Free Press Journal this month. The state government says it is working to raise generation and is prepared to buy power if required.
Energy Minister Pradhyuman Singh Tomar said coal-based generation typically dips by one to two per cent during the monsoon. He said instructions have been issued to maximise coal-fired output and to bring back plants under maintenance as quickly as possible. The minister added that coal stocks in the state are adequate and that hydel plants able to generate are being used. If necessary, he said, electricity will be purchased in the interest of the public.
Officials also point to a tight national market. Sources cited by the Free Press Journal said that on Monday buyers on the national exchange placed bids for about 70,000 MW while sellers offered only around 700 MW. Rajiv Gupta, executive director of the Power Management Company, said earlier this month that availability had fallen after deficient rainfall and that buyers now outnumber sellers. The newspaper linked the tight market to the El Nino weather phenomenon. Gupta said Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were also facing shortages and described Madhya Pradesh as comparatively better placed.
Gupta put the state’s demand at around 14,000 MW and said production was almost at the same level, with distribution companies regulating load to manage the gap. According to the same report, eight hydel units are shut because of low water levels or repair work, including six units at the Gandhi Sagar and Rajghat dams that are idle under restrictions from the Water Resources Department because of inadequate water. Several thermal units are also offline for annual overhaul or boiler tube leakage, including units at Vindhyachal, Gadarwara, Khalgaon, Sasan and Bina.
Rural residents and legislators have complained about the interruptions. Congress MLAs Bala Bachchan and Pratap Grehwal said outages were occurring without prior notice. Grehwal said his tribal-dominated Sardarpur constituency, which has received deficient rainfall, has been affected, and that he intends to raise the issue in the Assembly’s upcoming winter session. The reports say the cuts have lasted between 30 minutes and an hour, mostly in the evening.
The government has said it remains committed to supplying farmers with 10 hours of electricity a day and other consumers around the clock. The Free Press Journal reported that senior Power Management Company officials are holding meetings to ensure adequate supply. How quickly the situation eases will depend on idle units returning to service and on availability in the national market, where supply remains limited.
