CEA projects 8.8% power shortage in 2008-09

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

Mumbai, Aug 19: The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has projected more power shortages in 2008-09. The estimated energy shortage will be about 8.8% and peak shortage of about 18.1% in the country.

Northern, western and southern regions are likely to experience energy shortages of nearly 6.3%, 18.8% and 8.2% respectively, while eastern and north eastern regions are expected to get surplus energy by around 12.7% and 3.3% respectively.

The peak shortages in northern region are expected to be 19.4%, western region (27.4%), southern region (18.8%) and northeastern region (15.1%) while the eastern region would have surplus energy by 1.9% in 2008-09.

Peak shortage will be of the order of 21,701 mw in the current fiscal. The annual energy available would be 7,28,962 million units (mu) against the annual energy requirement of 7,99,578 mu. Thus, the energy shortage would be 70,616 mu. The average energy shortage per day will be 193 mu.

CEA recalled that during 2007-08, the total ex-bus energy availability in the country was 6,66,007 mu against a requirement of 7,39,343 mu leading to a shortage of 73,336 mu or 9.9%. The total peak met for the country was 90,793 mw against a peak demand of 108,866 mw, resulting in a peak power shortage of 18,073 mw (16.6%).

All the regions -northern, western, southern, eastern and northeastern continued to experience energy as well as peak demand shortage for varying degrees on an overall basis, although there were short term surpluses depending on the season or time of day.

The surplus power was sold to deficit states or consumers either through bilateral contracts or through traders. Western regions comprising Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Goa experienced the maximum energy shortage of 38,945 mu or 15.8% and maximum peak shortages of 88,892 mw or 23.2%.

Two new inter-regional transmission corridors had been added in March 2007, Patna-Balia 400 kV d/c line between the eastern and northern regions and one circuit of Agra-Gwalior 765 kV between northern region and western region. Besides, Biharshariff-Balia 400 kV d/c line has also been added in 2007-08. This has strengthened the inter-regional connections between the north, west and east and has provided opportunities for sale of power from surplus to deficit areas across these regions, as and when available, through short term open access.