As mercury rises and powerhouses state facing coal shortage, the people of Uttar Pradesh have been facing an acute power crisis this summer. The demand for electricity in the state has increased to an all-time high level of 23000 megawatt per day whereas the supply at present is less than 20000 megawatt only.
Seeing the shortage of railway racks for the coal supply, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to use road transport for the supply. The state government has asked the staff of the power corporations to put in extra hours of work to maintain supply.
the union government’s directives for the purchase of imported coal to run thermal power houses, UP would have spent Rs 11000 crore more on it. According to officials of the energy department, the purchase of imported coal would result in an additional burden of Rs 11000 crore on the already cash-starved power corporation.
Meanwhile, the state energy minister Arvind Sharma has asked the officials of UP Power Generation Corporation Limited (UPPGCL) to use road transport networks for the supply of coal instead of depending on the railway.
He said that coal would be transported for UP’s biggest thermal power plant at Anpara through the road. This power plant in UP produces a maximum of 2360 megawatt power every day.
The energy minister said that demand for electricity has risen drastically this year. During summer in the previous three years, the peak demand used to be 17000 megawatt, which has risen by more than 5000 megawatt this year. The highest demand for electricity in UP was 23000 megawatt on the last day of April and it is still hovering around it.
