BHUBANESWAR: With the state experiencing severe heatwave conditions, the Odisha government on Monday directed all power distribution firms (Discoms) to maintain continuous power supply throughout the state during the day.
Following frequent power interruptions reported in different parts of the state in the previous few days, Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra conveyed the instruction during a meeting held here through videoconferencing. Mahapatra directed the discoms to prioritise power supply to household customers and business enterprises due to the escalating heatwave and the upcoming board examinations for students in classes X and XII, officials added.
Odisha is experiencing a power shortage due to a sudden outage at an 800-megawatt (MW) capacity unit at NTPC's Darlipali plant in Sundergarh district. The unit supplied 400 MW to the state previously. Furthermore, due to the hot weather, peak power demand has increased by about 10%, according to the Energy Department. "Limited load regulations has become unavoidable due to the sudden outage of one 800 MW capacity unit (Odisha share 400 MW) of NTPC's Darlipali power station and the lack of appropriate power in the exchange. Consumers are being inconvenienced as little as possible "In a tweet, the department stated.
The Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) has been told to increase generation throughout the day to make up for the shortage. The discoms were told to make the most of hydropower, according to the report. Similarly, the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has been asked to ensure that coal is delivered to all of the state's power plants.
All power-generating businesses were also told to meet their state's power obligations without fail. Officials added that railway authorities would be asked to improve the availability of rail cars for transport of coal to thermal power plants.
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