Assam Produces Just 1/5th of Total Power Demand

GUWAHATI: Power-starved Assam’s ‘dream’ of industrial development is fraught with the risk of becoming a ‘pipe dream’. Believe it or not, the State generates a little more than one-fifth of its total power demand.

The Assam Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (APDCL) has approximately 50 lakh consumers – around 10 lakh urban consumers and 40 lakh rural ones. The power scenario in the State is precarious. The peak shortage of power is on the rise almost every year in the State. According to APDCL sources, the power demand in the State is likely to be 2025 MW by 2019-20 and 6,000 MW by 2025.

According to official records, the peak demand for power in the State in 2013-14 was 1329 MW against the availability of 1220 MW, thereby registering a peak shortage of 109 MW.

The power scenario in the State deteriorated further in 2014-15. While the peak demand was 1424 MW against the availability of 1257 MW, the peak shortage was 167 MW. The situation kept deteriorating in 2015-16 also when the peak demand was 1526 MW against the availability of 1198 MW, registering the peak shortage of 328 MW. The power scenario was the worst in 2016-17 when the peak demand was 1612 MW against the availability of 1104 MW, registering a peak shortage of 508 MW. There was a little improvement in the scenario in 2017-18 when the peak demand was 1770 MW against the availability of 1351 MW, registering a shortage of 419 MW. In 2018-19, the peak demand, according to APDCL, is likely to be 1850 MW against the availability of 1400 MW, thereby registering a peak shortage of 450 MW.

Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGCL) generates around 329 MW of power of its own, which is a little more than one-fifth of the power demand of the State. In such a situation, the APDCL has to procure power from various other sources like central sector power generating stations like NEEPCO, NTPC, NHPC and other private sectors at high prices. Even as a number of power projects are either under construction or in the pipeline, none of them is getting the final shape.

According to APDCL sources, the sharp rise in power demand in the State is attributed to the rise in the number of power consumers in the State. With the implementation the Pradhan Mantri Gram Vidyut Yojona (PMGVY) and the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya), the number of power consumers in rural Assam has risen sharply.

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