Reliance Energy requests TPC for 17 outlets

Mumbai, Oct 14 (UNI) To meet growing demands of electricity in suburban areas, Reliance Energy Ltd (REL) has requested Tata Power Company (TPC) for additional 17 outlets up to 2006-07.

An REL statement release here today said the company has made continuous efforts since 1996 to get TPC to provide additional transmission and requested TPC for additional 17 outlets up to year 2006-07 based on the growing demand.

However, the TPC has continued to stall on some premise or other to provide the outlets, the REL statement release alleged.

To meet the growing demands of electricity in suburban areas and address the critical need of additional transmission outlets needed to maintain safe loading limits on its network, REL, with the existing limits of load on the network, is now forced to undertake load shedding in pockets of Goregaon, Malad and Chembur areas to avoid major blackouts, company statement said.

TPC's continuous stalling of the requests to increase the number of outlets, forced REL to take-up the issue with Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) in 2005, the statement said.

The regulator recognised the need for more outlets vide order of December 9, 2005, and, on the basis of a technical report of IIT Mumbai, directed Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (MERC), the designated State Transmission Utility (STU), to process the same. Unable to get the additional outlets by requesting TPC directly, REL is awaiting the outcome of its application with STU to overcome the issue.

TPC continues to stall the requests despite REL sourcing 50 per cent of power required for its licensed area covering suburban Mumbai from them, the statement release said. TPC is required to supply the power to REL at their outlets from where REL distributes the power through its own network of feeder pillars to the places of consumption. There are 55 TPC outlets in Mumbai, which is far below the requirement of meeting the load.

REL has thus far been able to manage reliable supply by drawing power from its source (Aarey) on longer than normal distance cable which impacts on efficiency of the network. REL will strive to continue to maintain the supply within the constraints of loading on the network, the statement added.

UNI ST MAZ SBA RN1943