Jamshedpur: Power pangs continue with short supply from Central Load Despatch

Jamshedpur, June 7: Several areas serviced by the Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (JUVNL) have been experiencing power cuts since last night following supply restrictions.

Power supply was restricted due to a breakdown at the Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS). One unit of the station developed a snag last night, resulting in a crisis in JUVNL command areas. The worst hit were Mango, Sundernagar, Parsudih, Govindpur and several other localities on the outskirts of the city. Residents complained they were being forced to go without power for a prolonged time.

Sources at the Central Load Despatch, which supplies power to the city and its fringe areas, said PTPS was unable to generate adequate power leading to the crisis. They added that while JUVNL command areas require about 90MW power, it was getting a supply of just 60-70MW, leading to disruptions.

A senior official of the power board said both the Gamharia and Golmuri grid sub-stations were getting less power than required.

Under normal circumstances, the Golmuri power grid sub-station gets a supply of 30-35MW, while the Gamharia grid sub-station, which supplies power to the adjoining Adityapur Industrial Area, gets about 60 MW.

Production was hampered at several small and medium scale units at the Adityapur industrial area due to the power crisis. Small units cannot afford production by using generator sets due to cost factor.

According to JUVNL authorities, the situation was likely to improve from tomorrow. “The repair work is expected to be completed by tomorrow. Therefore, we are hopeful of improvement in the power situation,” said an official.

The power crisis has resulted in water scarcity at several apartments in the JUVNL command areas. Jugsaslai, Mango, Baliguma and Parsudih were among some of the areas confronting power problems. Golmuri grid caters to areas like Mango and Parsudih while the Gamharia one supplies to Jugsalai and Adityapur.

In Mango, the power pangs which began in the morning continued till late in the night. The neighbourhood has around 1 lakh JUVNL subscribers, most of whom faced water crisis too as the pumps could not be operated. Though the power supply was restored today , it was not uninterrupted. Residents complained of loadsheddings.   Restrictions in power supply from the central load despatch, coupled with local breakdowns and power tripping, has hit places like Jugsalai and Parsudih.