With the increase in heat, there has been a jump in the demand for electricity, from 3.7 crore to 4.2 crore units
Dehradun: With the increase in heat in the state, the demand for electricity has also started to increase. The situation is such that within five days the demand for electricity has increased from 3.7 crore to 4.2 crore units. UPCL has to buy electricity from the market.
Last year, the demand for electricity in the state had reached a record 6.5 crore units. This year, from the beginning of April, the demand for electricity has also started increasing like mercury. If we look at the trend of the last five days, the graph of demand is becoming clear. On March 30 and 31, the demand for electricity was recorded at 3.7 crore units. After this, the demand of 3.6 crore units on April 1, 3.8 crore units on April 2, four crore units on April 3 and now 4.2 crore units on April 4 has been recorded.
This time the effect of less snowfall is also visible on power generation. Last year in April, UJVNL’s production was around 1.6 crore units, which is running around 1 crore to 1.2 crore units this year. UPCL has only 3.4 crore units of electricity available from the state, center and other sources as compared to the demand. Hence, 80 to 85 lakh units of electricity have to be purchased from the market every day.
Prices going up to Rs 10 during peak time
UPCL is also getting market electricity quite expensive. While in normal times UPCL is spending up to Rs 2.69 per unit, during peak time this price is reaching Rs 10. The coming time is going to be more challenging. After the demand increases, a huge amount will have to be spent daily on purchasing electricity from the market.
