Even after combating the power demand last year, the demand-supply gap seems to be increasing again in Uttar Pradesh. The union power ministry’s recent report on power supply positions in the country shows UP to have experienced a peak demand-supply gap of 4.1% during the first quarter of the current financial year. The gap is more than the all-India average of 0.9% and the highest in the country after two-three small states.
As per Hindustan Times reports, the peak demand in the state between April-June was 18,827 mw against the peak availability of 18,061 mw, the shortfall being 766 mw, which is 4.1% of the total deficit during the quarter. UP’s gap peak was possibly higher than that of Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Manipur. The daily power supply position reports released by the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC) shows that UP continues to have a demand-supply gap both during peak and off-peak hours in July as well. The situation, according to them, was unlikely to improve before October when the demand starts crashing.
“There is a marked improvement in the situation in the state but having a peak power deficit of 1000-1500 every day despite the fact we are still not providing 24×7 power to all the consumers is no doubt a challenge,” said sources.
“What the report shows is only the official position and there no account of prolonged power cuts that people are facing every day because of recurrent faults in substations, transformers, cables and the like,” the sources added.
