Two to six hours load shedding announced in Rajasthan due to strict CERC norms

Tough days are ahead for the residents of Jaipur with the Rajasthan state government announcing a two-hour load shedding from 05-05-2010. The district headquarters in the state, on the other hand, will have four hours of loadshedding. Besides, municipal areas will have five hours of load shedding while it will be six hours for villages having over 5,000 population. The industries in the state are already facing a load shedding of four hours from 7 pm to 11 pm.

"Soaring heat has increased demand of electricity, so the electricity corporations have decided to cut power throughout the state in order to maintain balance in power supply," Chairman of the corporations, R G Gupta, said. In Jaipur, the load shedding will be imposed between 9 am and 5 pm.

According to an official press release, the measures are aimed at overcoming the increase in demand for power. "The maximum temperature recorded in April and May is 42°C, which is 5 degrees above last year. This has led to an unprecedented rise in demand for power," says the press release.

The decision has come after over withdrawal of electricity, on a daily basis, from the northern grid, leading to a threat of its collapse. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) too has given strict orders of not overdrawing electricity from the grid.

"Power cut became mandatory after the strict orders of central regulatory authority. CERC has ruled that if we overdraw electricity from the northern grid then we will be charged Rs12.22 per unit at grid frequency of 49.5 but if we withdraw power at the frequency of 49.2 then we will be charged Rs17.46 per unit," said Gupta. We have been told to maintain the grid frequency at 49.7, he added.