Chairman and Managing Director of TGSPDCL Md. Musharraf Faruqui.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
HYDERABAD
At a time when the demand for energy and peak load of power is on the constant rise along with the mercury (temperature), the power utilities of Telangana are following the cost optimization method for procuring energy from the exchange so as to keep their purchase bill under check as much as possible and meet the demand.
In addition, the utilities are also availing the power banking tie-up they have with States such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, which have comparable lesser demand for energy during the January-March period, which is peak period for Telangana and off-peak for those States.
This year, the peak load on the transmission system has already reached 15,920 megawatt (on February 7) against the peak load of 15,623 MW registered last year (March 8). The peak load has clocked higher than that of the last year’s peak for five days already this month, though the energy consumption is yet to cross the highest-ever so far (311.04 million units) recorded on March 13 last year.
“We are expecting the highest peak load likely to touch 17,000 MW by the end of March third week this year and gradually come down with demand from the agriculture sector receding. We have tied-up for energy procurement, in addition to the power contracted already from TG-Genco and other producers, for peak and off-peak hours”, Chairman and Managing Director of the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Ltd Md. Musharraf Faruqui said, when contacted.
He explained to The Hindu that now that power loads for heating needs in the colder northern States was subsiding and loads for air-conditioning was yet to pick-up, the States which had availed power from Telangana during its lead demand months were supplying excess availability they have back to Telangana.
The additional burden on the utilities was only during the peak load hours in the mornings when the farmers prefer wetting (irrigating) their crops by drawing groundwater with the help of pump-sets. “Once the solar power starts kicking in for the day we are availing it even if it means backing down the contracted capacities as it is helping cost optimisation”, Mr. Musharraf said.
The cost of generation in the Genco facilities was working out at an average ₹3.50 per unit and the solar energy was available at ₹2 to ₹2.5 per unit. The fixed costs are anyway borne by the Discoms but the would be relief in the matter of variable costs and in absolute terms any relief in the total cost is a saving for the utilities, he explained.
Published – February 10, 2025 07:16 pm IST
