Srinagar: With the frequent rainfall and improvement in weather, the hydel power generation in Jammu and Kashmir has increased by 44 percent in a month.
Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department was facing 84.17 percent dip in power generation owing to the low water level and was generating only 16 percent of energy.
A top official informed KNO that the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) recorded a peak hydel power generation of 721 Megawatts (MWs) from the local plants.
“From the power plants of the Kashmir region, the department is currently able to produce 110 MWs of power and in case of power plants in Jammu, the peak generation is 611MW,” the official said.
The official further said that the department is likely to produce more power in the coming weeks keeping in view the water level and improvement in weather.
“Currently, we are able to produce more than 60 percent of power against the total generation capacity of 1197.4 MW,” the official said.
Pertinently, till the third week of February, an official had said that Jammu and Kashmir was relying on more than 85 percent of coal and solar power amid acute deficit of hydro power generation.
Officials of PDD department had claimed that local hydro power generation from the local power plants have reduced by nearly 90 percent.
An official had informed that “At present Jammu and Kashmir is 85-90 percent dependent on coal and solar energy that is being procured from the other states because as of now we don’t have a local power generation.”
“In winters the local hydro power generation of Jammu and Kashmir power plants has reduced by almost 90 percent and in order to cater the requisite power demand, we need to have a base power availability that we procure from outside states. The energy is coal based energy,” the official said.
However, the reports from the ground doesn’t subscribe to the official figures,
“Yesterday we had a wet weather condition, thought we will get some good power service as temperatures were low. But no. There was no electric supply in several areas of Srinagar, forget about rural areas,” complained consumers.
And in rural areas, people just mock PDP claims.
Power supply is the scarcest commodity in our areas. We still don’t get 12 hour supply in 24 hours, say consumers of Tangmarg area, the one closest to the so called famous tourist resort of Gulmarg.
