A significant shift has been observed in the power demand and consumer trends of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). Documents submitted to the regulatory commission reveal that the demand from HT (High Tension) industries has decreased sharply. Conversely, in several areas, the number of consumers has decreased, but the demand for electricity has increased.
The recently released financial year 2024-25 data from UPCL presents an interesting picture of electricity consumption and demand in the state. While fluctuations in the number of consumers and load have been observed in the mixed load and LT (Low Tension) industry categories, the total electricity sales have increased more than anticipated.
According to the UPCL report, the total number of consumers in the mixed load category has decreased from 89 to 86. Despite this, the electricity load in this category increased by 1897 kilowatts, and sales also increased by 52 lakh units.
In the Roorkee division, a nearly 19.75 percent increase in electricity demand was recorded.
UPCL acknowledged that electricity demand is decreasing in the industrial areas of the state. Specifically, a decrease of approximately 3.60 percent has been observed in the electricity demand of HT consumers. In the small-scale industries (LT Industry) category, the number of consumers increased from 15,993 to 16,400, but surprisingly, the total contracted load decreased by 27,913 kilowatts. According to the data, a 3.60% decrease in sales was observed only in the HT Industry (heavy industry) category.
The main reason for this is that these heavy industries are also purchasing electricity directly from the open market. Over the year, consumers in this category purchased 20.10 crore units of electricity through open access, reducing their dependence on the UPCL grid. As a result, the load decreased by 51% in Bhagwanpur and 19% in Rudrapur-1. Meanwhile, a nearly 19.75 percent increase in electricity demand was recorded in the Roorkee division. The number of consumers has decreased in areas like Raipur and Roorkee, but the increased electricity consumption by the remaining consumers has resulted in an overall increase of 2.68% in total demand.
UPCL’s revenue from electricity increased
CategoryApproved Sales (MU)Actual Sales (MU)Difference (%)Domestic010.794092.26+2.03Commercial1983.252120.34+6.91Private Tubewells279.53310.22+10.98Government Public Utility796.98869.95+9.16LT Industry7006.87387.73+11.05HT Industry7006.876754.74
-3.60
Railway Traction83.06102.09+22.91Mixed Load197.72199.28+0.79Electric Vehicles0.661.61+143.94Total-14708.0114,838.23-+1.17
Where are industries buying electricity from the open market?
DivisionConsumersMarket Electricity Consumption (Crore Units)Dehradun021.6494Roorkee Rural021.3164Bhagwanpur021.7988Haridwar Rural030.9864Laksar021.4740Kashipur047.4111Bajpur051.9594Rudrapur241.6965Sitarganj011977Khatima021.7065Total201962
