The Hindu Business Line : CERC issues notice to TNEB for overdrawing power

Chennai, Nov. 25 Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has issued notice to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board for overdrawing power from the grid, according to Dr Pramod Deo, the CERC Chairman.

Addressing Wind India 2008, a conference on wind power, Mr Deo referred to CERC’s action in the context of the shortage prevailing in Tamil Nadu and the need to augment additional power generation capacity. There is a “huge shortage” of power in Tamil Nadu and CERC has issued notices to the authorities here.

State control

This affected the grid stability in the region, he said. The problem is because the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC), which regulates the power grid, was under the control of the State-run power utility rather than being created as an autonomous body.

Later, Mr Deo told reporters that though there was shortage of power in southern States, with all of them defaulting on power drawn from the grid, “TNEB has been very frequent” in overdrawing power.

CERC was not responsible for the shortage but it was up to the State to manage demand or take steps to increase supply of power.

To maintain grid discipline, it is important that SLDC be impartial. An expert committee headed by Mr G.B. Pradhan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power, had earlier this year recommended an independent governance structure for SLDC.

This was being done at the national and regional level. But most State Governments had not given SLDCs sufficient autonomy, which affected grid discipline, he said.

Tamil Nadu has been hit by a shortage of power estimated at over 1,700 MW against a peak demand of over 9,200 MW for some months now. The normal-hour demand is about 8,400 MW while the power available is about 6,800 MW.

The shortage has been attributed to reduced output from hydel power sources and a sharp drop in supply from Central power utilities, according to official data.

More Stories on : Regulatory Bodies & Rulings | Power | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page