Averting A Power Disaster

Drought-hit Karnataka is now reeling under a double whammy, with a surge in energy demand owing to a weak monsoon adding to the misery already wrought by the latter.

- Ajay Sukumaran

Over the past few weeks, the state has declared a drought in 216 of its 236 talukas and the extent of farm losses is estimated to run into Rs 30,000 crore. Alongside, the low inflow into hydel reservoirs, which Karnataka relies on for a bulk of its electricity generation, has resulted in an acute power problem. This is because drought-hit farmers are depending solely on electric pump sets this season to save standing crops.

“One reason is there is no rain. All of a sudden, (power) demand has gone up,” says Karnataka energy minister K.J. George, pointing out that demand reached a peak of 16,000 MW in August-September, much more than was seen last year. “Normally, we shut down our thermal plants in monsoon as there is no need of thermal power. But this time, we have started them.” Karnataka has a total installed capacity (as of November 2022) of 31,634.6 MW; overall, there’s a shortfall of 1,500- 2,000 MW despite an increase in generation compared to the previous year.