Demand for power back to what it used to be in pre-Covid times: Min

Kolkata: State Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Tuesday said the demand for power has reached the pre-Covid situation in the state from the first week of this month.

On Tuesday, a review meeting was conducted by Chattopadhyay along with senior Power department officials in presence of representatives from the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL), Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC), West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Coal India and other organisations regarding preparedness for upcoming Durga Puja.

Chattopadhyay informed that this year it is assumed that maximum demand for power across the state in one day will be around 8,414 megawatt.

To maintain the uninterrupted supply during the festive season, more than 13 lakh metric ton coal has been stored already.

"Though the clubs and Puja committees have told us that this year their power

consumption will go down as they are organising the Durga Puja on a smaller

scale due to the pandemic, we are prepared to supply like every year," said Chattopadhyay.

During the press conference held at Bikash Bhavan, the minister also informed that the demand of power has gone back to pre-Covid situation as the offices and industries have started functioning normally.

However, during the lockdown period, the demand had gone down by 22 percent only as domestic connection consumption had increased.