Standard Post with Image

Power Outages as NTPC Units Conk Out

  • Bihar faced acute power crisis on Thursday following the breakdown of four units of NTPC plants located in the eastern region. The state received only 680MW as against its sanctioned allocation of 1,772MW.A major part of Bihar, including Patna, plunged into darkness. However, a power board official said the situation would improve in a couple of days.Sensing the gravity of the situation, state energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav met NTPC CMD Arup Roy Choudhury in New Delhi. Choudhury told the minister power generation at Kahalgaon and Talchar plants would resume within 24 hours.
  • Bihar has already pleaded with the Centre to allocate additional 500MW to it. The state has also demanded maximum allocation from the hydel power projects developed in Bhutan by the government of India.For the coming summer months, meanwhile, Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) has decided to buy additional 500MW under a power trading agreement. Under this agreement, BSEB is to get 200MW from Ahmedabad's Adani Power Limited from March 1 this year to December 31, 2015 at the rate of Rs 4.41 per unit. The remaining 300MW would be procured from the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited from March 1 till August 31 this year.BSEB has signed another power purchase agreement for procurement of 450MW from Essar Power Jharkhand Limited. It is expected to commence from July 9, 2014.

Source