Lights out! Rajasthan faces worst blackouts in India, reveals GCI report

JAIPUR: Rajasthan govt's claims of delivering uninterrupted electricity to citizens have turned out to be hollow. According to a report by Grid Controller of India (GCI), a central PSU, Rajasthan endures the most severe and prolonged power outages in comparison to any other state in the country.
Even though the heatwave has passed, and the monsoon rains have arrived, leading to a decline in power demand, there is no end to loadshedding in Rajasthan, which has been affecting both urban and rural consumers.GCI's daily report showed that the state faced power shortage for most days, and the quantum of shortage is also the highest among the states.
The desert state gets around 2,800 lakh units from its own sources, while the demand is around 3,200 lakh units. During the peak hours, the demand touched 3,700 lakh units, according to officials in the energy department. The major reason behind the shortage is the non-functioning of the power generation plants at full capacity, they said
As per the regulatory guidelines, thermal power plants should run at least 83% of the full capacity as they require maintenance from time to time. But the plants of the state govt run at a capacity of 55-65%, which leads to shortage.
"The power crisis has forced Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVUNL), which runs the plants, to improve running capacity to up to 65%. It used to be worse, at about 50-55%. Still, with 65% capacity utilisation, it is far below the mandated level of 83%," said a senior official.
'Lower capacity utilisation also impacts state financially
Super critical thermal power plants of the state (Chhabra and Suratgarh) have technical problems which do not sustain higher level of capacity utilisation, he added.
Lower capacity utilisation also impacts the state financially. Power plants get variable and fixed charges for selling power to discoms. When RVUNL generates less than the mandated 83%, it loses out on variable cost.