Power consumption goes up in Karnataka due to dry weather

The prevailing dry weather has triggerred a shocking increase in power consumption in Karnataka during the last one month, forcing the authorities to resort to load shedding in rural areas.

According to officials at the Load dispatch Centre, which monitors power supply situation in Karnataka, the power consumption in the State had touched almost 120 million units on October 14 compared to around 81 million units on September 14, registering a rise of 50 per cent in one month.

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) has attributed the steep rise in power consumption to the absence of rain. The prolonged dry spell had resulted in excess usage of irrigation pumpsets in rural areas to pump groundwater to protect standing crops. Also, in cities, the use of fans and air-conditioners had increased due to the dry weather, officials said.

However, the sudden increase in power consumption has put Karnataka in a tight spot as the state was facing a shortage of 200 to 250 mega watts of power during peak hours.

Complicating the situation for Karnataka is the even greater shortage neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are facing. While power consumption in Tamil Nadu had touched 171 million units, Andhra Pradesh is facing a crunch on account of the consumption reaching 172 million units.

The shortage of power availability in the dry weather has resulted in overdrawal from the Central power generating stations by all the southern states, except Kerala.

With overdrawal of power bringing pressure on the central power generating stations, the southern states including Karnataka have been directed to resort to load-shedding, which has now hit the rural areas of the state hard.