Power scenario in UP grim, several NTPC units down

Lucknow, Apr 22: With four units of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) falling out of Northern Grid owing to various logistics problems, the power situation in various North Indian states including Uttar Pradesh remained grim causing massive power cuts.

Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the country, in terms of population, with about 17 crore people, is the worst affected of as the state has the largest share, 35 to 40 per cent, from the Central sector from these units.

The unit no one of 500 MW capacity in Rihand Thermal Power station is out of steam since March 24, the shut down of another 500 MW unit number six of Singrauli due to maintenance has put inordinate pressure on the Northern Grid, whose frequency hovered around 48 Hz, certainly in the stress zone.

Further, the problems in 200 MW unit at Dadri gas based unit and 110 MW at Tanda added to the woes making the Grid so vulnerable that it was very difficult Uttar Pradesh to draw adequate power, much to the discomfort of its people.

Though even the generation status of UP units was not satisfactory, but the Northern Grid had become unstable mainly due to NTPC being not able to sustain its regular power generation, highly placed sources in UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) told UNI here.

The generation from UP units is pegged at about 2000 MW against peak hour demand of 6900 MW and despite the import from the Central Sector the gap of 2000 MW between demand and supply is just too much to handle.

Barring few districts, the power cuts have been imposed in the entire state with places where the power was available for hardly ten hours a day.

Uttar Pradesh, with mainly thermal power stations at its disposal, has installed capacity of 4607 MW which includes 4092 MW of thermal and 515 MW of hydro power. Obra thermal power station has 13 units with the total capacity of 1550 MW, Paricha has 220 MW.

Anpara 'A' station has capacity of 630 MW while Anpara 'B' has 1000 MW of installed capacity. Simlarly Harduaganj 'B' has installed capacity of 210 MW while Harduaganj'C' has 230 MW and Panki has combined capacity of 252 MW.

In Hydel, Obra hydro has installed capacity of 99 MW, Khari has 72 MW, Matatila 44 MW and Rihand has capacity of 300 MW.

UNI