The power load on the generation and transmission system in Telangana has scaled new peaks for the last two days and crossed the 19,000 megawatt mark for the first time, the third State in the South to do so after Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, on Wednesday (September 9) when it clocked 19,543 MW at 10.41 a.m. with energy consumed at 324 million units.
The previous day, September 8, also saw erasing the previous peak load till then as the system clocked a peak load of 18,392 MW at 2.57 pm. The previous peak load recorded was on March 13 this year when it clocked at 18,228 MW. On September 7, the system recorded a peak load of 18,227 MW. On Thursday (September 10), the peak load recorded was over 19,000 MW.
Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka told the Assembly on Thursday that the peak load was expected to break the 20,000 MW barrier in the coming days as the demand for energy was on a constant rise due to the dry weather conditions with rainfall deficit standing at 24% against the normal as on September 10 due to the impact of El Nino conditions.
He stated that use of energy generated from the non-conventional energy sources such as solar, wind, biogas and others would reduce the burden on the distribution utilities in day-to-day energy purchases from the energy exchange and solarisation of agricultural pumpsets, which were around 30 lakh in the State, would help the utilities and the government immensely as ₹14,000 crore a years was being spared for free power supply to farm pumpsets.
Under the Indira Soura Giri Jala Vikasam scheme the State Government has also been promoting solar powered agricultural pumpsets with focus on 6.7 lakh acres land distributed to tribals under the Forest Rights Act in the past. According to the TG-Transco officials, the daily energy consumption has been over 300 MU every day on all days this September and the maximum demand of power has a minimum of 17,000 MW.