J&K’s power crisis: A way ahead

By: Er. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili (Former Chief Engineer)

During the dearth of electricity in forties, I have been witnessing in dark nights the use of ‘lashi’ wood in villages, baked-earthen oil lamps -(tsong in Kashmiri) with their stands fixed on walls (called tsangi-taar) and the length of oil trail below the lamp stand on the wall would be considered a sign of richness, also there were used moveable lamp stands called ‘zoor’. Next came the age of kerosene lamps called lanterns besides hanging kerosene lamps called ‘Chatgeer’ which were used mostly by the artisans of embroidery etc. who worked in late night hours thus burning their midnight oil. Even scholars and students would be reading under the dim light of these lamps. For large gatherings lighting gases were used which needed replacement of mantles besides pumping air. The situation began to improve with the start of a chain of Hydroelectric powerhouses.

Thanks to the start of chain of Hydro power projects in 1905:

When electricity was being supplied from the 9 MW Mohra powerhouse commissioned in 1905, most of the households had one 25W lamp fixed in a hole of the partition wall thus lighting two rooms at a time and this bulb would go flickering once the wires would get overloaded. The connection to each house was installed with a fuse which would get blown off due to overloading by the defaulter customer. Next day the concerned lineman of Electric Department had to be called to reinstall the fuse. A monthly flat rate of Rs.5.00 to Rs.10.00 used to be paid in the concerned electric subdivision within a stipulated time. Any delay would result in the disconnection of the line. With the increase of population, urbanization, and generation of more power though at a snail’s pace, people started use of heaters, boilers etc., which used to result in the damage of transformers in the respective areas thus causing black out of the connected area till the replacement of the repaired transformer. Mostly the meters installed in the houses were bypassed with hooking on the naked overhead transmission lines, though at times, it would result in to fines of the defaulters, yet some people would not refrain from this practice despite all this punishment. Many fire accidents would also take place due to short circuiting causing huge damages to the houses which were mostly built of timber and masonry. With the increase of power generation, though disproportionate with the increase of demand, people started use of modern gadgets like geysers, refrigerators, washing machines, radiators, central heating etc., resulting into a vast gap between demand and supply thus causing frequent shutdowns particularly in winter months when water discharge gets reduced, and the hydro-power projects must suffer with low generation. The hydro-power stations of J&K UT being connected to Northern Grid generate sizable amount of power to help the deficit states during summer, hence in winter the process could be reversed.

The northern grid covers nine regions – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Chandigarh.

From the media it is revealed that: Overall, J&K has a requirement of about 2,600 MW of electricity. However, the power supply to the Kashmir division is 1200 MW while to Jammu is 900 MW. There is a deficit of about 500 MW. (Ref: Indian Express 28.10.2023)

Jammu & Kashmir has the identified potential to generate about 16475 MW of hydropower (11,283 MW in Chenab basin, 3,084 MW in Jhelum, 500 MW in Ravi and 1,608 MW in Indus). Once the entire power potential is exploited, Jammu & Kashmir can be turned into a net energy exporter.

In comparison to an identified power generation potential of 16475 MW, J&K currently generates only 3,263 MW of electricity in the state sector from 21 power projects.

According to the recent media reports about power projects in J&K it is stated that:

Mohra-the second oldest powerhouse in Asia:

The Mohura power project is a hydroelectric plant located on the Jhelum River in Boniyar, Kashmir. It was built in 1902 by Maharaja Ranbir Singh and commissioned in 1905 by Maharaja Hari Singh. The project was one of the first of its kind in the subcontinent.

The Mohura power project has an installed capacity of 9 MW. The project is owned by Jammu and Kashmir. The JKSPDC has announced that the heritage power station at Mohra will be revived. The project is likely to go into tender stage by April next year and cost an approximate Rs 120 crore.

Jammu and Kashmir’s power generation company has decided to finally revive the Mohra power station, the second oldest power generation station in Asia. The decision was taken at the Jammu Kashmir State Power Development Corporation board meeting that Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Vivek Bhardwaj presided over.

The Board of Directors accorded its approval to the award of the EPC contract for execution of 10.5 MW (2x 5.25 MW) Mohura Heritage Hydro Electric Project, located in Tehsil Boniyar, District Baramulla at the estimated cost of about Rs 133.50 crores

As stated earlier he Mohra SHP, a run-off river scheme was constructed in 1905 in Kashmir on river Jhelum at Boniyar, 35 km downstream of Baramulla, with an installed capacity of 4 MW, later enhanced to 9 MW. It was the second hydroelectric project in Asia.

The LG Administration is very keen to revive this century-old project and the Board of Directors has approved the implementation of the project. The project is slated and shall be completed in 42 months.

Vivek Bharadwaj, who is also Chairman of the Board directed that all necessary approvals like forest clearance, MHA clearance etc for the projects of the corporation should be ensured at the earliest.

Principal Secretary, Power Development Department, Nitishwar Kumar directed that the project should be commissioned on time without any delay.

The Board also confirmed the allotment of the contract to M/S Oriental Insurance Company for the insurance of 900 MW Baglihar HEP – Stage-I and Stage-II for the policy period from 16-07-2022 to 15-07-2023.

New Ganderbal Hydroelectric Project:

Declared in 1996, the work on the much-awaited 93-MW New Ganderbal Hydropower Project is in limbo as the authorities have failed to start the construction work of the power project. Coming up on River Sindh, the New Ganderbal Hydropower Project was estimated to be completed at a cost of over Rs 800 crore.

The project was conceived as a run-of-the-river scheme on Sindh Nallah with three units of 31-MW each.

Official sources said that in 2014, a two-stage bidding process was adopted for the selection of the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor for the project in which Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) emerged as the successful bidder with a negotiated cost of Rs 819.18 crore.

However, for a variety of reasons HCC failed to implement the project till 2017.

Subsequently, the contract was cancelled.

The sources said that the Letter of Intent (LoI) to HCC was issued under a cabinet decision and the proposal was placed before the State Administrative Council (SAC) chaired by then Governor Satya Pal Malik, which accorded approval to the annulment of the bid Process and initiation of procurement process of the 93-MW New Ganderbal Hydro Electric Project afresh by Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) EPC mode.

“The decision was taken given the resolution passed by the then Board of Directors of JKSPDC,” the sources said. They said that all the requisite clearances for the project had been obtained and compliances for clearance of the project by the Centre’s Indus Commission made.

The government’s failure to start the construction of the 93-Megawatt New Ganderbal Power Project has evoked resentment among the people here.

Locals said that the successive governments had failed to initiate the work on the project.

“Locals were enthusiastic after the announcement of the construction of the new power project in Ganderbal but it was short-lived as no such development took place to date,” the residents said.

Bilal Ahmed, a local, said that the work on the project had not started despite frequent assurances from the higher-ranked officials and ministers in the past.

Officials said that if the project is completed, the power supply in J&K would increase and to some extent help tide over the power crisis.

The project is said to be more viable economically, geologically, and environmentally compared to other proposed and under-construction projects of the JKSPDC and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and involves minimal rehabilitation, resettlement, and social issues.

A senior official said that the project was in the tendering process.

“The date of submission of the bids was October 10, 2022, which has now been extended till October 31,” the official said. “Work on the project will be started once the tendering process is completed.”

The Jammu & Kashmir administration recently said the Union Territory is facing a power crisis as its power projects are generating less electricity than before due to the dry spell in summer. The administration is taking steps to address the issue, it added.

What much power J&K is generating currently?

In comparison to an identified power generation potential of 16,475 MW, J&K currently generates only 3,263 MW of electricity in the state sector from 21 power projects. The largest share of energy, 2,009 MW comes from the central sector from seven projects while about 42.5 MW is brought in by the private sector through four projects. More than 85% of this comes from hydropower projects, the largest of which is the Baglihar project on the Chenab basin with an installed capacity of 900 MW.

What is the on-going power crisis?

Overall, J&K has a requirement of about 2,600 MW of electricity. However, the power supply to the Kashmir division is 1200 MW while to Jammu is 900 MW. There is a deficit of about 500 MW.

H Rajesh Prasad, principal secretary of the UT’s Power Development Department (PDD), said, “We are maintaining what we were supplying last year. However, availability is 1,400 MW from central and state generating agencies. We are supplying 2,100 MW.”

Even with an additional supply of 700 MW from the central power exchange, J&K is unable to meet its energy requirements. “

This 700 MW that we are buying is expensive,” Prasad added. J&K is buying this electricity between Rs 7 to Rs 10 per unit, but it’s supplied for Rs 1.25 per unit to the below-poverty-line consumers and a maximum of Rs 4.50 to regular consumers, according to the principal secretary.

This costs the exchequer Rs 750 crore monthly and will increase to Rs 850 crore per month as demand increases in peak winter in Kashmir, the power department said.

What are the reasons for the deficit?

According to the PDD, J&K witnessed an unprecedented dry spell this summer, reducing power generation across its projects.

“Due to the dry spell, water flow in the rivers is very low and this is leading to a reduced generation capacity. From our power projects, mainly Baglihar, our total generation was about 1,050 MW but at the end of September this was around 700 MW and as of today, this is down to about 200 MW to 250 MW. This is a drastic fall, and it has affected the power supply,” Prasad said.

This combined with what the secretary described as “expensive” electricity from the power grid, is causing a deficit.

J&K also suffers huge transmission losses. Aggregated technical and commercial (AT&C) losses in the UT were at 62% last year. It has been reduced to about 55% this year. While the department aims to bring it down to about 45% in the current financial year, the task has proven to be difficult.

A major reason for issue is that only 50% of J&K has metering systems, therefore billing can’t be done on per meter basis in many parts of UT. Another reason is the pilferage of electricity, using uninsulated wires.

Power Cuts:

The PDD proposed scheduled cuts of 4.5 hours in metered areas and 8 hours in unmetered areas but due to further shortfall there are now unscheduled power cuts causing great inconvenience to consumers who have been protesting every now and then. The present scenario is that Kashmir Valley is in the grip of a deepening power crises throwing consumers into darkness besides effecting economy adversely. According to GK detailing J&K Hydro Power Capacity and Generation, there are 13 power projects managed by JKPDC having a combined electricity production of 1197.4 MW besides 6 power projects managed by NHPC with combined production of 2250 MW. Thus, against overall power generation capacity of 3350 MW in J&K, we receive only 200 MW from JKPDC and only 350 MW from NHPC i.e. a total of 550 MW. Shockingly this year the authorities are reported to be reluctant to increase power purchases from external power generation companies to meet the shortages in Kashmir.

 Status of metering in J&K:

Out of 21 lakh households, about 50% are metered. Smart meters have also been installed in about 4 lakh households. However, the installation has faced resistance in many parts of J&K, in rural as well as urban areas. The UT administration has emphasised that round-the-clock electricity will only be possible with 100% metering in all areas.

At a press conference last week, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha stated that while efforts are being made to install meters in all areas as early as possible, power cuts will be minimal in metered areas and maximum in non-metered areas.

According to a power curtailment schedule released this month by the PDD, while metered areas are seeing power cuts up to 4.5 hours a day, non-metered areas will see eight-hour power cuts. The number of hours is expected to increase in the coming months.

Steps the UT administration taking to address the power situation:

Apart from aggressively pushing metering in the UT, the administration is promoting the use of AD cables to insulate wiring prevent theft. The PDD secretary said through the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), the 5500 crores scheme, funded 90 per cent by the govt of India and 10 per cent through UT, has been sanctioned and will include metering, AD cables and modern transformers. “We are pursuing metering and installation of AD cables together, but we still need to cover a lot of distance,” Prasad said.

The aim is to bring transmission losses to under 20% through structural reforms.

Additionally, on October 18 the union cabinet approved Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase-II – Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) for 13 GW Renewable Energy Project in Ladakh. The transmission line for evacuating power will run through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to Kaithal in Haryana, integrating with the National Grid and interconnection to Ladakh’s existing grid and the 220kV Alusteng Grid in Ganderbal district of Kashmir through Leh-Alusteng-Srinagar line, to provide power to J&K.

The UT administration has stated that the solar energy project will also reduce J&K’s dependence on hydropower, which is greatly reduced in the winter.

The 13 GW capacity will be a combination of 9 GW of solar power and 4 GW of wind energy. This capacity is proposed to be combined with 12 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), which will result in the round-the-clock supply of power to the tune of 33,630 million Units per annum, as per the Government of India.

A Nuclear Power Project could solve the winter demand of J&K UT. If other states have built Nuclear Power Plants, why not J&K UT. At present there are 7 sites of Nuclear Power Plants with a total capacity of 6780 MW at Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, 2 nos., UP, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and 4 plants under construction with a total capacity of 5300 MW at MP, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, besides future planned 11 projects of the capacity of 40,200 MW at Maharashtra 2 nos., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, MP 2 nos., Haryana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Gujarat.