Power consumption down below 50 percent, Discoms stopped power purchases

Hyderabad: Power consumption has plunged sharply for the last few days on the back of heavy rain and lower temperatures and the end of the yasangi season. Against the installed capacity of 16,800 MW, consumers are using 6,906 MW. As a result, power distribution companies (discoms) have halted purchases from the national exchange from April 30.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Telangana State Northern Power Distribution Company Limited chairman and managing director Annamaneni Gopal Rao said that more than 13 centimeters of rainfall was recorded in north Telangana districts and it depressed power consumption.

Due to heavy rains, breakdowns were also reported in various districts, he said. Compared to last year, power consumption sharply decreased, he said. He said the state utilised 6,906 MW on Tuesday, against 10,335 MW the same day last year.

The southern discom saw consumption of 5,237 MW on Tuesday, compared 7,026 MW the same day last year. At the southern discom it was 1,653 MW against 3,270 MW on the same day last year.

TS Power Generation Corporation Limited chairman and managing director D. Prabhakar Rao confirmed that they stopped purchase of power from national exchange. The installed capacity of power generation in the state is 16,800 MW including 9200 MW of power utilities own resources, he explained. "We restricted the power generation up to 7,400 MW,” he added.

There is no need for power supply for the agriculture sector and in Hyderabad the demand had come down to 3,400 MW, he said.