Srinagar: Unauthorized power ‘overdrawal’ by Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has raised serious grid security concerns in the region, with central load dispatchers issuing 57 warnings, including three extreme emergency alerts.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the central control room that manages the northern electricity grid had to issue 57 official warnings to J&K and Ladakh during September because the region repeatedly drew more power than its assigned quota, putting stress on the power network.
Overall, the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) issued 612 messages to the over-drawing States including 438 alert, 147 emergency, and 27 extreme emergency. “In 340 cases over-drawl was not reduced by 50 percent in the next block, and in 180 cases not at all.”
The official documents of Northern Regional Power Committee (NRPC) said, “Even after repeated verbal as well as written messages, when over drawl was not controlled by NR states, NRLDC was constrained to open 9 identified radial feeders on five days during evening peaks.”
“Several states sold power in Day-Ahead Market and Real-Time Market while over-drawing from the grid. J&K and Ladakh, Delhi and Chandigarh were net sellers on most days, and Haryana sold about 13 percent in
RTM on 27 September. Punjab bought 5–16 percent of consumption from RTM yet overdrew every day, showing its procurement fell short,” it reads.
The Committee said that during a meeting, an NRLDC representative highlighted that they had already requested to take a proactive approach and do sufficient tie-ups. “Still number of states were seen overdrawing.”
