PESU blames ‘foreign objects’ for power cuts
2 min readPATNA: Amid growing number of complaints from city residents on frequent power cuts, Patna Electric Supply Understanding (PESU) has attributed it to transient fault owing to contact of foreign objects with the overhead electricity wires.
In a media interaction here on Friday, PESU GM Dilip Kumar Singh admitted complaints regarding tripping had increased, but denied any load shedding or breakdown.
“The power demand in the city during peak summer season has increased from around 525-530MW last year to 610MW on June 20 this year. There is no capacity constraint in the distribution system. There are around 6,000 power transformers in Patna, which together have the capacity to supply around 1350MW of electricity. Thus, even if the demand is over 600MW, our distribution network is not under pressure,” Singh said.
He added: “It is true that the number of complaints being received at the 48 fuse call centres in the city have increased to around 600-700 per day, but such power cuts are only momentary. It mostly happens when the overhead wires get in contact with foreign objects like tree branches. The system cuts the power supply immediately and restores it within maximum five minutes.”
The GM claimed an annual 50-60MW increase in power demand in Patna. He specifically pointed out sharp surge in power demand in western Patna areas, including Danapur. “Several new townships are coming up in Danapur and require 8-9MW of electricity. Accordingly, the power demand in Danapur area is expected to surge by 30-40MW in the next couple of years,” Singh said.
Energy department officials also shared details regarding several new grids and substations planned to be set up in the city to create additional capacity for meeting increased demand of power in near future. “Four new grids of 400 kVA are proposed at Bakhtiyarpur, Jakkanpur, Digha and Board Colony. Similarly, 19 power substations are coming up in different parts of the city. 10 substations will be developed by L&T and the remaining nine by Tata Group,” said Sandeep Kumar R Pudakalkatti, managing director of North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL).
He said three substations would be commissioned by August.
Online bill payment: Sandeep Kumar R Pudakalkatti, MD of NBPDCL, said around 12% of the total 1.12 crore power consumers in Bihar make online payments for their energy bills. The national average for the same is 19%. The power distribution companies in the state give 1% rebate for online energy bill payment. “Total 16.16 lakhs online payments were made during 2016-17 and the number increased to 29.64 lakh during 2017-18 … We will soon start campaigns through advertisement to promote online payment in rural areas,” Sandeep said.
Courtesy: TNN
