Orissa halves power supply to industrial units

Monday, 22 June 2009, 14:49 IST
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Bhubaneswar: Orissa Sunday began reducing power supply to industrial units by up to 50 percent to help it overcome shortage, Energy Minister Atanu Sabyasachi said here. The state, which needs between 2,900 to 3,000 MW daily during peak hours and 2,400 to 2,500 MW during non-peak hours, is facing acute power shortage due to outage at a few thermal plants. Besides, generation at Orissa's seven hydel projects has fallen on account of the absence of rains, Sabyasachi told IANS. "The situation is grim because we are short of 700 to 800 MW daily," he said. "The industries consume on an average about 850 to 900 MW of electricity. From today (Sunday), we started supplying them half of what they were getting." The state government is also trying to source power from units that have captive plants, the minister said. "We have taken this step because we do not want people to face power cuts," he added.
Source: IANS