Karnataka Prepared to Ensure Sufficient Power Supply This Summer, Stresses Uninterrupted Supply: Energy Minister K.J. George
- Seven Hours of Daytime Power Supply for Agricultural Pump Sets
Bengaluru: Energy Minister K.J. George has directed the Energy Department to take comprehensive advance measures to ensure an uninterrupted and adequate power supply during the forthcoming summer, with clear instructions that load shedding must be avoided under all circumstances.
Chairing a review meeting with senior officials at BESCOM’s Belaku Bhavana today, the Minister assessed the department’s preparedness for summer and emphasized the need to ensure adequate power generation and procurement to maintain a balance between demand and supply.
The Energy Minister directed the department to assess anticipated power demand from March through May and make suitable arrangements, including power banking. He noted that abundant daytime solar power should be efficiently utilized, with hydro and coal-based generation stepped up during night hours to ensure a balanced supply.
“Preparations must begin now to meet demand. Arrangements should be made to procure power from other states through exchanges or long-term purchase agreements, and agreements should also be entered into with sugar factories that generate power alongside sugar production. If surplus power is available during the summer, it can be sold to other states. However, there should be no shortage under any circumstances,” Energy Minister K J George said.
Seven Hours of Daytime Power for Agriculture
“In several parts of the state, under the KUSUM-C scheme, agricultural pump sets are already being provided with 7 hours of continuous daytime power supply through feeder solarisation. Since solar power generation is currently high, a similar 7-hour continuous daytime power supply should be extended to agricultural pump sets in other regions as well,” the Energy Minister directed.
PCKL officials informed that during the current financial year, a record power demand of 17,220 MW was recorded in December and was adequately met. They stated that during the coming summer, power demand is expected to increase by about 5% compared to last year, and preparations are underway to meet this demand. During peak demand hours—morning and evening—power will be supplied through hydro and thermal power generation.
They further explained that with the water currently stored in the state’s reservoirs, it is possible to generate 33 million units of electricity per day until the end of July. Similarly, units at the Raichur, Yeramarus, and Ballari thermal power stations are being readied to produce the required power during summer. In addition, substantial power is also being generated from renewable energy sources.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta, KPTCL Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey, BESCOM Managing Director Dr. Shivashankara N., HESCOM Managing Director Vaishali M.L., GESCOM Managing Director Krishna Bajpai, MESCOM Managing Director R. Jayakumar, CESC Managing Director K.M. Munigopala Raju, KREDL Managing Director K.P. Rudrappaiah, and other senior officials of the Energy Department were present.
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“Adequate infrastructure must be readied in advance to efficiently transmit and distribute the available power. Areas facing overload issues should be identified and solutions found. Through link systems, ensure that all regions receive adequate power supply.” — Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department.