Gear up for long power cuts

HYDERABAD: In what is a pointer to how events will unfold in the coming months, many parts of the city experienced long power cuts — ranging from 3 to 7 hours — on Thursday.
The power utilities which supply power to the city said that this is just the beginning. With the state’s coffers depleted and no money to buy power from outside the state, the utilities would have no choice but to impose massive power cuts across the state from next week onwards.
Many parts of Hyderabad have been subjected to one hour daily power cuts for the last several weeks.On Thursday, apart from the regular scheduled power cuts, areas like Srinagar Colony, Masab Tank, East and West Marredpally experienced longer power shutdown.
“The demand in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday was 9,375 MW and there was a shortfall of nearly 300 MW. We managed somehow by overdrawing from the southern grid. There were power cuts in many areas of the city on Thursday because of tripping at some of the sub-stations and maintenance work in others. But the problem will worsen with the onset of summer and examinations for students. This time around, we have no money to buy power from outside. Therefore, we will have no choice but to impose massive power cuts, scheduled and unscheduled,” said a senior official of the AP Transmission Corporation (Transco) not wanting to be identified.
Therefore, officially from next week, the entire city area will see power cuts ranging from one hour to two hours on a rotational basis. The power cuts are likely to stretch from two hours to four hours in the district headquarters and as much as four to six hours in the mandals and rural areas. Added to this will be unofficial power cuts.
The crisis is being compounded because the state has directed the power utilities to ensure that the seven-hour free supply of power for farmers is not disrupted in any manner. Of the total power consumed by the state everyday, the free power for farmers accounts for 40 per cent.
And as things would have it, the demand from the farmers is expected to increase in the midst of the ongoing rabi season. The demand for agricultural power registers steep increase, particularly in the Telangana region, as farmers depend on borewells for irrigation. Added to this, the number of complaints regarding burning of transformers in the region due to low voltage or excess load are also on increase.
Meanwhile, the power distribution companies (Discoms) have sought time till February 15 to submit the aggregate revenue requirement (ARR) report since the proposal to enhance power tariff remains elusive.
The government is yet to take a final call on the issue. What is holding back the government is the fear of public wrath and the possibility of Opposition attack in the budget session of the assembly which is scheduled to begin from February 15. The opposition parties are already gearing up to take on the government on the recent increase in bus fares.
But the Discoms say that unless the government takes a decision, they would be in the dark with regard to the deficit it would face in 2010. As of now the government owes Rs 12,000 crore to the power utilities.
They are supposed to get the ARR approved by the State Electricity Regulatory Authority by March 23. Before that the APERC has to hold public hearing and take a final decision. If the government does not take a decision at least by February 15, they would be in deep trouble, sources aver.