“Due to a lack of demand, we have been forced to shut down all 3 thermal power plants and hydropower plants at bare minimum”, V Ponnuraj, KPCL Managing Director
Bengaluru, August 24: Due to the electricity demand being hit by the pandemic, the electricity generation in Karnataka, which was a power deficit state till 10 years ago, has far exceeded than required, creating an altogether different kind of energy crisis. With poor demand in Heavy and medium sized industry who are consuming less power than before, it has forced Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) to temporarily shut down three thermal power plants.
The first time that the operation at plants were halted was 2 months ago. KPCL tried resuming operations at the thermal power plants once but couldn’t, as the high power generation and low demand in the state threatened to destabilize the grid. The drop in energy consumption is a sign that industries are still struggling to achieve the pre-covid manufacturing levels.
“Due to a lack of demand, we have been forced to shut down all 3 thermal power plants and hydropower plants at bare minimum,.” V Ponnuraj, KPCL Managing Director said while confirming temporary plant closure.
Out of 8,686MW of power generation capacity of KPCL, it has been producing only 600MW to 1,200MW recently. The KPCL website showed the statewide demand falling to 6,943MW in August as compared to 9,500MW to 10,000MW recorded during this period on average.
“And this figure is only during the lean season, between June and September. On an average, Karnataka normally consumes at least 12,500 MW of power each day”, said a senior official in the energy department.
The industry association said that they were consuming less energy because of an ‘unfavorable’ market situation leading to decreased production, which has reportedly dropped to 40-50%, with the automobile sector’s figure being 20-30%.
“Earlier, manufacturing units had 4 to 5 shifts. Currently, there are 2 to 3. Because of a lack of demand, units are working at half strength to reserve cash,” BC Prabhakar, President, Karnataka Employers Association
