J&K heads for power crisis as NTPC to stop supply

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 11

The state is heading for an unprecedented power crisis as the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) on Monday decided to stop its entire supply of nearly 940 mega watts (MW) from next week due to non-payment of dues amounting to Rs 1,984.65 crore.

The corporation sent a regulation notice, a copy of which is with The Tribune, to the state’s Power Commissioner and informed him of the decision to stop the entire supply of 939.08 MW. “Power supply to the extent of 100 per cent, allocated from the NTPC station, will be regulated to the state of J&K,” the notice read.

It further said the proposed regulation would be implemented from Tuesday next week, “initially for the period of three months till the time outstanding dues are cleared, whichever is earlier”.

The sources said bills raised for the power supplied to the state for the past year were pending for payment.

The regulation will have a major impact and will lead to a power crisis in the state where the Kashmir valley has 9.65 lakh electricity consumers and a load of 1,332 MWs is provided through 242 receiving stations.

The state purchases more than 80 per cent of its power requirement and a major component of it comes from the central public sector undertakings like the NTPC and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.

The state also purchases a small component of power from the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation. A senior government official said efforts were underway to clear some amount of the remaining dues.

The state has an estimated hydel potential to generate 20,000 MW out of which projects of about 16,200-MW capacity have been identified but its currently capacity to generate power is a mere 969.96 MW.