“The power requirement of the city has touched 52 lakh units per day due to development and population growth. Last year, the city recorded a peak demand of 272 MW against the total entitlement of 248/200 MW. This deficit is increasing every season,” says a senior official.

“According to the department’s calculations, the demand for power, which is likely to touch 320 MW in the peak summer months, is expected to increase to 440 MW in 2010-11 due to more malls and mega-projects like Education City and theme parks,” says the official.

While for now, the department is overdrawing from the Grid but the situation cannot continue for long.

According to the Engineering Department’s latest cautionary statement, “Against the firm and ad hoc allocation of 235 MW, the UT is receiving 120 MW to 150 MW of power thereby overdrawing 10 MW to 75 MW of power during different hours of the day. Further drawing of power from the grid can lead to Grid failure, and can plunge the whole region into darkness”.

Power demand in peak summer months is leading to temporary purchasing of power at fairly exorbitant rates. Take for instance last summer. A senior official says power had to be purchased at Rs 7 per unit as against the rate of Rs 3 per unit.

“During peak summer and winter, the city is always short of power due to reduction in allocation by generating stations,” says a senior official.

Plan for the future

Banking on a number of projects that will be commissioned in other states in the next few years, the Administration had signed Power Purchase Agreements of three different projects with the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) last year. According to the agreement, the NHPC will set up 3X65 MW, 4X80 MW and 8X55 MW hydroelectric power plants at Districts Tehri and Pauri Garhwal of Uttarakhand.

Though the UT has claimed 45 MW of power from these stations, the projects are likely to be commissioned only by 2010-11.