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Water Crisis Could Shut Two Power Plants In StateBy akansha, Section Electricity
Maharashtra seems set to face an unbearable summer as the severe water shortage could reduce the amount of thermal power generated by 47% in April and May. Electricity minister Ajit Pawar has approved the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited's (MSPGCL) proposal to shut down the Chandrapur and Parli thermal power plants in those two months.
The Chandrapur and Parli thermal plants generate 2,340 mw and 940 mw of electricity respectively. This means the state would get 3,280 mw less power from thermal plants if they are shut. MSPGCL's total thermal power generation is 6,925 mw. Mumbai wouldn't be hit by the closures, as it has its own sources of electricity, but the suburbs of Bhandup and Mulund get power from MSPGCL. Kalyan, Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Vasai, Virar and other areas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region also face increased power cuts. The state, minus Mumbai, gets a total of 13,360 mw of power from MSPGCL and other sources, and a loss of 3,280 mw of power means a reduction of 25% of electricity. Cities like Pune, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Amravati, Nagpur and Aurangabad, where the zero load-shedding model is being implemented by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), will have to purchase additional power to prevent load-shedding in view of the closure of the two thermal plants. This is because the demand-supply gap in the state will increase and the shortfall will be proportionately distributed among all areas in the state as per the load-shedding protocol approved by the Maharashtra electricity regulatory commission (Merc). For Pune, purchasing additional power will also mean that consumers will have to pay a higher reliability charge than the existing 21 paise per unit. An MSPGCL official pointed out that the present power supplied to the rest of Maharashtra falls short of the demand by 3,500 mw. So the loss of another 3,280 mw in summer would leave the state reeling under an unprecedented power deficit of 6,780 mw. To date, the deficit has never crossed the 4,000 mw mark. Source: Times Of India By Prafulla Marpakwar Water crisis could shut two power plants in state Click On "Full Story" For More....
"It's a fact that we are facing a worst-ever situation. At the moment, there is a shortage of 3,500 mw. With the closure of the Chandrapur and Parli power plants, another 3,280 mw would be lost. Thus, we must be prepared for more load-shedding across the state," a senior MSPGCL official told TOI on Thursday.
So far, water was supplied to the Chandrapur plant from the Erai dam. However, the water stock from there was exhausted in min-January and additional water from Chargaon dam was diverted to the plant. "We are procuring additional water from Chargaon dam, but that will help us to operate the plant till February 28. To tackle the situation, we are planning to utilise the Erai dam's dead storage. As a result, we will operate the plant upto March or the first week of April. After that, we will have to shut the plants and wait for the arrival of the monsoon," the official said. The official said that in view of the unprecedented situation, MSPGCL has also rescheduled its plan to overhaul four units two of 500 mw and two of 210 mw in April and May. "We have no option but to reschedule our overhaul plan," he said. "We have purchased additional water from Chargaon dam for Rs 11 crore, which will help us to run the show up to March-end. The daily requirement of water is 0.2 million cubic metres."
The official added that MSPGCL has approached the Western Coalfields for water to be supplied from the Mahakali, Ghughus and Nakoda coalmines, but WCL rejected the proposal without giving reasons. "All the pros and cons, particularly on closure of the thermal power plants, were discussed at a high-level meeting and it was decided to shut MSPGCL generates 6,925 mw of power from seven thermal electricity stations, 2,469 mw from hydro-electric stations and 852 mw from gas. In addition, the rest of Maharashtra also gets 1,924 mw from Tata Power, 500 mw from Reliance and 690 mw from nuclear sources.
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