The power department in Kashmir is facing 750 MWs deficit to meet peak demand during winters.
Officials said that even as the Alestang project last year added 260 MW to the system, yet the department continues to face 750 MW deficit to meet the peak demand of 2200 MW during winters. Chief Engineer KPDCL, Aijaz Ahmed Dar said the department is working on multiple projects to bridge this gap.
The Delina, Lassipora, Harwan, and some other projects, on which the work is going on, “will add to the existing capacity,” Dar said.
“As soon as these projects will conclude,” he said, “we will come out of this (deficit) issue.”
He added: “By next year the projects that we are working on and those which are in pipeline will take our power capacity to 2000 MW. This will solve these issues once and for all.”
On current power curtailments, he said if the consumers use power “judiciously” they won’t need to go for curtailments.
Meanwhile, the unscheduled power cuts are taken heavy toll on patients and elderly people in Kashmir. “Following the COVID, a large number of critical care patients need oxygen supply at home which is being interrupted by increased power cuts in the valley,” people from different areas complained.