Closure of power units costs govt dear
Manish Sirhindi
Tribune News Service

Panipat, March 29
The shutting down of three thermal units at Panipat and under-performance of some units at the Yamunanagar thermal plant is proving costly for the state government which has been forced to buy expensive power from the northern grid.

According to sources, the state drew 2,494 lakh units of power worth Rs 108.89 crore in the first fortnight of March from the northern grid to cope with the power shortage in the state.

The power utilities receive power from the grid at an average cost of Rs 4.37 per unit. As per data released by the Northern Regional Power Committee, the state bought power at Rs 5.59 per unit on March 5 and 13. The state purchased 850 lakh units on March 5 and 896 lakh units on March 13. Despite this heavy overdrawl, Haryana had an energy deficit of 1,419 lakh units, the sources said.

The crisis had been created as three 110 MW units at the Panipat thermal plant are facing a shutdown due to various reasons. Besides, the 300 MW unit number 2 at the Yamunanagar thermal plant and the recently commissioned 600 MW unit at the Hisar power plant were not generating power to their full capacity, the sources added.

The unit number 2 at the Yamunanagar thermal plant was closed on February 22 due to excessive collection of ash in electro state precipitation hoppers. It became operational on March 14. The 110 MW unit number 3 at the Panipat thermal plant was closed on December 29 last year due to inflow of lubricating oil in the turbine shaft, thus resulting in overheating of the turbine.

Meanwhile, the 600 MW unit at Hisar, which was commissioned on February 21, has been generating power far below its capacity. This unit could generate only 153 lakh units during the first fortnight of the month, causing an energy deficit of 1,076 lakh units.

The Yamunanagar thermal plant (600 MW) operated at only 46.6 per cent plant load factor, causing an energy deficit of 1,863 lakh units.

The 300 MW Yamunanagar thermal unit number 2 had been generating only 170-180 MW, while the 600 MW unit at the Khedar plant was operated at 220 MW for only a few hours on March 24 and 25, the sources said.

Due to poor operational performance of the thermal plants, the state has already registered a loss of Rs 50 crore over just 15 days. Besides, it has also created a severe power shortage, with consumers facing long power cuts just at the onset of the summer season.

According to sources, the state bought 2,494 lakh units of power for Rs 108.89 crore in the first fortnight of March from the northern grid to cope with the power shortage.