Residents fearing the worst this summer may heave a sigh of relief. The government is mulling diverting power from industries to households.

It is contemplating to increase industrial power cut from 20 per cent to 40 per cent and introduce scheduled weekly power holidays. Electricity thus saved would be diverted for domestic consumption, sources said, adding that an announcement to this effect would be made in a day or two.

The move, warranted after the power deficit in the state went up by 3,000 MW following an increased demand of 11,500 MW, is in line with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) recommendations.

“Unscheduled power cuts affect process industries gravely. If there is a standard cut, industrial units can plan work efficiently,” N.K. Ranganath, chairman of CII Tamil Nadu State Council, said.

The government is also planning other short-term measures to prevent a power crisis in the next three months, after which Mettur and North Chennai units are expected to be commissioned.

“From June, the problem will ease and by mid2013 we will be a powersurplus state,“ sources claimed.
The government is considering purchasing 600 MW from private parties. “We are discussing it and a decision will be taken soon,“ the sources said.

Besides, a tender for the second unit at Ennore Thermal Power Station would be floated in a Desperate times, desperate plans Industrial power cut to increase from 20 per cent to 40 per cent and scheduled weekly power holidays to be introduced Electricity thus saved would be diverted for domestic consumption The Centre is planning to start a second transmission line between northern and southern power grids to enable better transmission of power.

Sources say power-deficit states including Tamil Nadu have lost power while transmitting through the only line available from North to the four southern states.

“All the four states in the South are power deficit and there is only one line to transmit power from surplus states in the North” sources say, adding this poses a major problem for power deficit states purchasing power from the surplus states.

“Tamil Nadu bought 500 MW from Gujarat but a lot of it was lost in transmission. The state got only 235 MW,” said a source.
If the Central government decides to start a second transmission line, it would augur well for Tamil Nadu’s power demands.

Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa has reportedly held two meetings after the power crisis erupted last fortnight to thrash it out. The state is currently facing 3,000 MW shortage of power.

“If the shortage was below 1,500 MW, we could have managed it by purchasing power. We still have other plans. Mettur and North Chennai units are likely to be commissioned between March and December. We will also get the seasonal supply of 300 MWs from wind energy,” adds a source.

The government is looking at temporary measures to solve the immediate power crisis and is also adopting a far-sighted approach to make sure that the state does not face this kind of crisis again.

“We lost Rs.5,000 crore because the former DMK government did not commission the Mettur and North Chennai units as scheduled. They should have been commissioned in 2010 and we would not have faced this crisis,” say sources.

-dc chn