By Team Mangalorean Bangalore

BANGALORE, JUNE 30, 2009: Bangalore city and several cities and town in Karnataka have been facing severe shortage of power on account of inadequate rainfall in June this year. The load shedding varied from one hour to seven hours while the load shedding in other cities and towns in the state was worse. With the below normal monsoon, the state is likely to face another drought during the kharif season.

The supply of electricity would improve only if the state receives good spells of rains in the next couple of days.

Minister for Energy K S Eshwarappa on Tuesday held a meeting with top officials of the department and said unscheduled load shedding has been enforced across the state. Disruptions in the functioning of units at the Raichur Thermal Power Station and erratic monsoon were major reasons for power cuts. Further, the state has been receiving only 17 per cent of the power allotted in the central grid compared to 35 per cent by AP and TN.

Karnataka is also not getting its central share of about 50 MW due to the stopping of generation by an unit at the Kaiga nuclear generating station on account of shortage of nuclear fuel, the minister said.

The inflows to the major hydel reservoirs of Linganamakki, Supa and Mani are negligible as the catchment areas of these reservoirs have not received any rains.

The fact that the state is yet to get any good inflows into its hydel reservoirs even in the June-end has caused serious concern in the power sector as normally this is the time when the inflows would gain momentum.

Perhaps this is the first time in the recent years that the state is facing a serious power shortage in the last week of June. Following this the state is now keeping its fingers crossed hoping for immediate spell of rains. The Opposition has been blaming the Yeddyurappa government for its failure to enhance the generation during the last one year.

Foundation stone for NTPC project in Nov

BANGALORE:  Karnataka Government is planning to lay the foundation stone for a 4,000 MW thermal power plant of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), at Kudigi in Bijapur district, in November.

Minister for Energy K.S. Eshwarappa on Tuesday held a meeting of officials of the department and NTPC, and told reporters that the project would come up on 3,600 acres at Kudigi. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 20,000 crore.

The Water Resources Department headed by Basavaraj Bommai has agreed to supply 5.27 tmcft of water from the Almatti dam to the NTPC project. The government and NTPIC signed the agreement a few months ago.

The first unit of the project would become operational after 48 months of the ground breaking ceremony, Mr. Eshwarappa said.

The locals would be provided jobs and the NTPC would build school, hospital and provide other amenities to nearby villages. The project would solve the electricity problems of the state, the minister said. Officials of the energy department were also present.

Former Minister and BJP MLA S.K. Bellubbi, who attended the meeting, said the locals have agreed to provide lands if the Government pay good compensation for them. 

Karnataka all set to hike 20 pc power tariff

BANGALORE:  Even as the State is reeling under severe power shortage, all five Electricity Supplying Companies (Escoms) in the state have submitted applications before the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), the State power regulator, on Tuesday, seeking power tariff increase of 51 paise (20 per cent) per unit which would cover all category of consumers.

Energy Department Principal Secretary K. Jairaj told presspersons on Tuesday the free power to irrigation pump sets and subsidized supply to Bhagya Jyothi and Kutir Jyothi consumers would continue as these subsidy schemes of the government.

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) would issue the final tariff order after the public hearing, which would take at least three months.

Mr. Jairaj said the proposed hike is expected to come into effect from January 2010. The supplying companies have sought power traffic hike after a gap of six year. The power tariff was increased by two per cent in 2003, he said.

Mr. Jairaj said the increase in the costs of maintenance, operation, renovation and modernisation works were the major factors for seeking the hike. The Escoms would net Rs. 1,800 crore from the proposed increase to bridge their combined revenue deficit, he said.

The Government would provide all details, including expenditure and revenue, for the KERC. All Escoms have been instructed to improve efficiency level and reduce transmission and distribution loss from 22.3 per cent in 2009 to 15 per cent in 2013, he said. The T&D loss was 27 per cent a few years ago.

Minister for Energy K.S. Eshwarappa and KPCL MD S M Jamdar were also present.