Telangana predicts surge in power consumption as summer approaches

As the summer season approaches, Telangana is anticipating a surge in power consumption, presenting a significant test for the newly-elected Congress government under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The administration is grappling with a financial predicament in the power sector while endeavoring to fulfill its commitment to provide up to 200 units of free electricity to domestic consumers through the Gruha Jyothi scheme, a key pledge among the six guarantees made by the party in the recent assembly elections.

Sources say the power utilities agencies are able to meet 50 per cent of the demand through Central Generating Stations (CGS) and open access markets. It is said that the agencies are purchasing Rs. 6 to Rs 7 crore worth of power from the open access on a daily basis. Every year during summer, Vanakalam and Yasangi seasons, the power demand goes up and the government has to purchase power from CGS and open access markets. Already the power utilities have started purchasing from CGS and open access sources and in the last one week they have been purchasing over 100 mu everyday from these sources.

Last year the power utilities spent over Rs. 1000 crore on purchasing additional power in August. Of the total power demand, around 37 per cent was used by agriculture consumers, while the remaining 63 per cent was used by industrial and domestic consumers. According to official figures, there are in all 1.74 crore power connections in the State of which, 1.27 crore domestic, 17,92,922 non-domestic, 1,04,281 industrial and 18,849 cottage industry connections in the State. Meanwhile, the Energy department has started taking measures to tackle the power demand situation in the State and asked the Discoms to ensure uninterrupted power



supply to all the categories of consumers.

The power officials are expecting that the power demand would cross over 300 million units and peak power demand to touch 16,000 during the summer in the State. In fact, the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) is expecting Greater Hyderabad region power demand to touch 83 to 85 Million Units in the summer.

According to power officials, the power demand in the State stood at 251.389 mu on Thursday and is likely to increase gradually in the coming weeks. In fact, the peak demand on Thursday stood at 13,695 MW, whereas it was 229 MW last year on the same day. On March 30 last, the State recorded a peak power demand of 15,497 MW and going by power consumption trends prevailing in the State, it is expected to cross the 16,000 MW barrier in the coming days with the daily energy consumption to range over 300 million units, officials said.

The power demand in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits had already touched 2,900 MW and was likely to touch 4000 MW in the coming days, officials said, adding that the Greater Hyderabad area recorded a maximum demand of 3,756 MW last year and about 79.33 million units were consumed and that this time it was expected to touch about 85 mu. Till a couple of years ago, maximum power demand used to be recorded at 2,700 MW in mid-May in Greater Hyderabad limits as people use ACs , coolers, fans and other gadgets, but since the last two years it started happening in February itself, the officials pointed out.

Last year the peak demand of 9,860 MW was recorded under the jurisdiction of SPDCL and this year it was likely to increase substantially, the officials said.