HYDERABAD 05-05-2009: Indiscriminate road expansion, lack of coordination between utility agencies, obsolete underground and overhead cables and frequent collapse of high tension towers are responsible for the current power crisis in the city.
Shockingly, this situation is arising even as power generation is higher than demand. “The power distribution system hangs by a thread and can snap anytime,” a senior official of APTransco confessed.
And snap it did on Tuesday plunging large parts of Hyderabad and neighbouring districts into darkness for several hours after the 12-km long 132 KV underground cable line between Chilkalguda and Moula Ali got burnt. Areas affected included Lalaguda, Osmania University, Sitaphalmandi, Chilkalguda, Monda Market, Gymkhana, Begumpet airport, James Street, Clock Tower, Bowenpally and Marredpally.
The city has two 132 KV underground lines, the second being from Chilkalguda to Erragadda. According to sources, the Chilkalguda-Moula Ali cable was laid 14 years ago. “This line has seen continuous overloading and aging. Had two cables been laid, it would have been possible to switch over to the other cable in case of a crisis as this”, an official said.
Analysts said that the long power cuts in the city are also due to mindless and random expansion of roads (in which the cables originally running parallel to the roads end up in a maze), collapse of high tension towers and non-replacement of underground power cables.
Because of the burning out of the Chilkalguda-Moula Ali cable, Secunderabad residents are facing power cuts ranging from two to four hours everyday. With over 20 technicians and labourers doing the repair work at Chilkalguda cross roads where the fault was detected, it will take a week for the cable to be repaired.
But the power crisis in Hyderabad is not just due to one cable going down. The 220 KV tower at Shahpurnagar on the outskirts that supplies power to the city from Kothagudem thermal power station, collapsed five days ago, leading to major loadshedding in the Gachibowli, Madhapur, Medchal, Shahpurnagar and surrounding areas falling in Ranga Reddy district. Transco sources said it will take another four to five days for the tower to be restored.
Apart from residential colonies, the faulty distribution system has affected medium scale industrial units like dairy farms, poultry, sugar and cement industry. The sudden rains have added to the woes of citizens with sub-stations having standing instructions to shut off power as wind and rain can result in the snapping of overhead cables and transformers can get burnt out as they are oil-based.
The current daily demand of 9,000 MW of power in AP is easily being met with thermal, naptha and purchased power accounting for 7,300 MW and gas-based units accounting for the remaining 1,300 MW.
Shockingly, this situation is arising even as power generation is higher than demand. “The power distribution system hangs by a thread and can snap anytime,” a senior official of APTransco confessed.
And snap it did on Tuesday plunging large parts of Hyderabad and neighbouring districts into darkness for several hours after the 12-km long 132 KV underground cable line between Chilkalguda and Moula Ali got burnt. Areas affected included Lalaguda, Osmania University, Sitaphalmandi, Chilkalguda, Monda Market, Gymkhana, Begumpet airport, James Street, Clock Tower, Bowenpally and Marredpally.
The city has two 132 KV underground lines, the second being from Chilkalguda to Erragadda. According to sources, the Chilkalguda-Moula Ali cable was laid 14 years ago. “This line has seen continuous overloading and aging. Had two cables been laid, it would have been possible to switch over to the other cable in case of a crisis as this”, an official said.
Analysts said that the long power cuts in the city are also due to mindless and random expansion of roads (in which the cables originally running parallel to the roads end up in a maze), collapse of high tension towers and non-replacement of underground power cables.
Because of the burning out of the Chilkalguda-Moula Ali cable, Secunderabad residents are facing power cuts ranging from two to four hours everyday. With over 20 technicians and labourers doing the repair work at Chilkalguda cross roads where the fault was detected, it will take a week for the cable to be repaired.
But the power crisis in Hyderabad is not just due to one cable going down. The 220 KV tower at Shahpurnagar on the outskirts that supplies power to the city from Kothagudem thermal power station, collapsed five days ago, leading to major loadshedding in the Gachibowli, Madhapur, Medchal, Shahpurnagar and surrounding areas falling in Ranga Reddy district. Transco sources said it will take another four to five days for the tower to be restored.
Apart from residential colonies, the faulty distribution system has affected medium scale industrial units like dairy farms, poultry, sugar and cement industry. The sudden rains have added to the woes of citizens with sub-stations having standing instructions to shut off power as wind and rain can result in the snapping of overhead cables and transformers can get burnt out as they are oil-based.
The current daily demand of 9,000 MW of power in AP is easily being met with thermal, naptha and purchased power accounting for 7,300 MW and gas-based units accounting for the remaining 1,300 MW.
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