Low discharge in rivers causes power deficit in J&K: Principal Secretary PDD

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration Thursday said there has been a decline in water discharge in rivers and streams in the UT this year which has caused a huge power deficit.
It was informed that the department supplies 2200 MWs of power against the availability of only 1400 MWs and that the remaining 700 MWs are being procured through power exchange.
The administration said that the Power Development Department (PDD), despite facing a huge power shortage, is supplying 1200 MWs of power to the Kashmir division and 1000 MWs to the Jammu region.
Addressing a press conference at Raj Bhavan here, Principal Secretary PDD, H Rajesh Prasad said that this year, there has been a drastic decline in the water level of rivers and streams in J&K. “This has resulted in a huge dip in the local power generation in the UT.
“In June-July, our own generation would remain between 1000 MWs to 1050 MWs. In September this year, power generation went down to 750 MWs and in October it reduced to 250 MWs only,” he said today in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
He said that the Power department is still supplying power at subsidised rates to the consumers.
About the curtailment in metered and non-metered areas, the PDD boss said that in the peak winter season, they will get additional power quota and the flow of the same has started. “We will be utilising the additional power quota in winters when demand reaches peak,” he said.
He said that in the next three to five years, transmission and distribution losses would be reduced to 20 percent. “The system has been augmented and the process is on. We will be able to reduce the power T&D losses to 20 percent in the next few years,” he said. (With inputs from KNO)