Power crisis worsens in UP as Unchahar units trip

Five units, each of 210 MW capacity, at National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) owned Feroz Gandhi Unchahar power plant in Rae Bareli tripped on Monday, igniting a major power crisis in the entire northern region, including Uttar Pradesh which has a significant share of power from the project in the central sector.

While NTPC was yet to officially disclose the reason of tripping, reports said it happened following a snag in a transmission line of the project being worked upon by the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). NTPC sources said a full-fledged inspection of the project will be carried out before a final report on tripping is submitted. The report is expected in next few days.

UP was worst affected as it has a share of around 450 MW of 1050 MW total installed capacity. This only aggravates the prevailing power crisis in the city.

Already, one unit of 110 MW at NTPC owned Tanda thermal power station had to be closed for annual maintenance earlier this month. Significantly, the entire output from the project comes to UP. According to data provided by Northern Region Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC), the unit is expected to revive only by June 30, even though NTPC sources claim to set the unit before the declared period.

According to NRLDC, the Obra unit tripped following a boiler tube leakage at around 10.30pm. The unit is expected to revive by Tuesday. If that was not enough, unit-1 of 300 MW at Rosa thermal power plant, owned by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), too tripped at around 9pm on Monday after one of its condenser choked. This was apart from the closure of 200 MW of unit-9 at Obra which remains closed since 2008 for renovation work. The Rosa plant is expected to revive by June 29.

This way, around 1800 MW of power could not be produced in UP on Monday, even as UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) grappled to have requisite generations from its other installations.