State planning to purchase power to mitigate shortage

Bangalore : State Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said that the state was presently generating only 7,562 mw of electricity as against the targeted  8,022 mw of electricity. He has said  that one of the two units of the UPCL power plant at Padubidri in Udupi has ceased to function owing to coal shortage and power generation has reduced by 600 mw. In Bellary too only 450 mw of electricity is generated instead of 1,100 mw, the minister said adding the Raichur thermal power plant is also not generating power to its fullest capacity making load shedding inevitable. He said he would be going on a three day tour to Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh  to mitigate the problem by purchasing power from other states and added the decision on the extent of load shedding will be taken after his return. Even the court stay to utilise the 650 mw of power generated by sugar factories has added to the existing problem as the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Kerala  states have moved the court seeking their share of electricity, Shivakumar said. The recent showers have reduced the use of electricity in farm pumpsets, the minister said. There are plans to purchase 450 mw of power from other states on long term basis and 275 mw of electricity on short term basis, he further added.   NewsKarnataka