A rise in temperature over the snow-clad peaks of Northern Areas has proved a blessing for the country, as increased water inflow has pumped the hydel power generation to 5,500MW, reducing the power shortfall to less than 2,000MW.
An official source in the Ministry of Water and Power said the country was facing a shortage of 4,000MW per day since the last few weeks due to limited hydel power generation. However, the situation improved by the middle of his month with an increased water inflow, leading to a decline in power outages. According to the data, the generation increased to 14,419MW against a demand of 16,152MW, leaving a shortfall of 1,733MW on Friday.
The maximum generation in May last year was 12,400MW. Power generation from hydel sources increased to 5,525MW, IPPs were producing 6,931MW, state-owned generation companies (GENCOs) churning out 1,864MW, while the rental power plants remained limited to 99MW. The source said the major reason behind reduced outages was the increase in hydel generation, but IPPs had also increased their output by adding 2000MW to the system during the past year.
The country has an installed hydel power generation capacity of 6,500MW, but reduced water inflow limited the generation to between 2000MW and 3000MW during the April-May period. The country’s power demand is expected to soar to 18,000MW in July and August, and the ministry estimates that if fuel supply constraints due to circular debt are resolved, load shedding would be remain minimal in the remaining part of the year.
Fuel supplies to various power producers have improved, but a sustainable resolution is still being worked out, the source said, adding that the problem’s resolution would help ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers.
