APGenco adds 210Mw

Hyderabad: Corporation may not meet the demand.

The state-owned APGenco added 210Mw more capacity to the grid on Tuesday as part of the state government’s efforts to increase the availability of power through various means. However, this is expected to provide little respite next summer.

The peak demand, which touched 187 million units last August, is expected to go further up beyond 190 mu during the ensuing rabi season, giving a tough time to the authorities in managing the power situation.

The state government had also prepared a back-up plan to meet the peak demand to the tune of 300Mw through the utilisation of idle capacity of gas power projects by using naphtha till May 2008.

Diminishing water levels that impact the ability of hydro electric projects in meeting the peak demand would deny the relatively comfortable position the state power utilities had been enjoying in the coming months. Genco officials feel that 210-Mw fourth unit of the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Project (RTPP), which is the last capacity addition in the state during the Tenth Five Year Plan period, combined with other efforts, would help them maintain the grid without resorting to major power cuts in the rabi season.

The power utilities on Monday met the demand for 7,281Mw as against the base available capacity of over 5,855Mw while accessing other sources, including the central share. BPCL and HPCL have agreed to supply around 1.8 lakh tonnes of naphtha till May next year to gas power companies to partly use their idle capacity for peak hour requirements.

About Rs 82 crore is required to be spent on close to 20,000 tonnes naphtha that will be enough to generate 300 Mw for 15 days in a month, according to Genco officials.

But the situation from June 2008 is going to be different. Most of the installed capacity in gas-based projects, including close to 2,000 Mw of new projects, would be up and running with the production of natural gas from Reliance (RIL)'s KG-Basin fields, which is expected to begin from the middle of that month.