The much delayed commissioning of the state-owned second unit of the 500-MW Bellary Thermal Power Station is likely to be dedicated to the state in the first week of August, informed Karnataka Energy minister Shobha Karandlaje to the Karnataka Legislative Council here on Monday.
To a question, the minister informed that the 500-MW Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS) is expected to be commissioned from the next week as all the hurdles in procuring coal has been removed.
“With the commissioning of the new thermal power unit, the state, which is experiencing one of the worst power crisis, would get relief to some extent,” the minister said.
Referring to the demand of the BJP member to enhance free units of power from the present 18 to 20 for Kutir Jyoti and Bhagya Jyoti subscribers, the minister said that the acute power shortage is coming in the way of honouring the demand.
She informed that as many as 25,2586 households have been connected with the Kutir Jyoti and Bhagya Jyoti scheme.
She expressed apprehension that the state may face the worst power crisis in the coming days if the storage situation in various reservoirs supplying water to Hydal units did not improve.
“The total storage recorded in hydal power reservoirs stood at 30 TMC ft as against 80 TMC ft compared to the previous year,” she said.
Stating that the prevailing drought situation in the state has also caused a sharp increase in the demand for power, the minister said: “We have witnessed an increase of 24 per cent growth in the demand for power compared to last year.”
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