Power crisis grips northeast India
11 May 2012 4:25 AM GMT
India’s northeast region has been hit by a severe power crisis for a week following collapse of vital power transmission towers, prolonged dry spells and falling water levels in rivers and reservoirs, a Tripura minister said here Thursday.
‘Major power transmission towers collapsed at two locations near Alipurdwar in West Bengal on the 400-KV Binnaguri (West Bengal)-Bongaigaon (in western Assam) double circuits due to a heavy storm and squalls 3 May,’ Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey told reporters.
He said the 400-KV towers connect and transmit electricity to the power starved northeastern region from the Eastern Regional power grid in West Bengal.
The state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in a statement said that it expected to ‘restore this crucial transmission line by 15 May on permanent basis.’
According to the minister, the situation further deteriorated when a major technical snag developed Tuesday in the alternative two numbers of 220-KV transmission circuits between Birpara (West Bengal) and Salakati (Assam).
These substitute transmission lines had fed power supply from the Eastern Regional grid to the Northeastern Regional grid.
‘Most of the hydel power projects in the northeastern region have either stopped power production or reduced generation to a large extent due to severe scarcity of water in their reservoirs, making the situation worse,’ Dey said.
An official of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation said that the rainfall was much less than normal in the last monsoon and during the pre-monsoon season this year. ‘Hence the water level in reservoirs of the power projects has gone down significantly, severely affecting their power generation capacity,’ the official added.
‘Major power transmission towers collapsed at two locations near Alipurdwar in West Bengal on the 400-KV Binnaguri (West Bengal)-Bongaigaon (in western Assam) double circuits due to a heavy storm and squalls 3 May,’ Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey told reporters.
He said the 400-KV towers connect and transmit electricity to the power starved northeastern region from the Eastern Regional power grid in West Bengal.
The state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in a statement said that it expected to ‘restore this crucial transmission line by 15 May on permanent basis.’
According to the minister, the situation further deteriorated when a major technical snag developed Tuesday in the alternative two numbers of 220-KV transmission circuits between Birpara (West Bengal) and Salakati (Assam).
These substitute transmission lines had fed power supply from the Eastern Regional grid to the Northeastern Regional grid.
‘Most of the hydel power projects in the northeastern region have either stopped power production or reduced generation to a large extent due to severe scarcity of water in their reservoirs, making the situation worse,’ Dey said.
An official of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation said that the rainfall was much less than normal in the last monsoon and during the pre-monsoon season this year. ‘Hence the water level in reservoirs of the power projects has gone down significantly, severely affecting their power generation capacity,’ the official added.
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