- LATEST
- WEBSTORY
- TRENDING
MUMBAI
Maharashtra’s largest thermal power plant to close all units by May 15
Blame it on acute water shortage at Irai dam.
Jaideep Hardikar & Rajshri Mehta
Updated : Apr 07, 2010, 12:32 AM IST
TRENDING NOW
)
Before Pakistani TikTok star Minahil Malik, actress Rida Isfahani's MMS video leaked online by...
)
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
)
Gandii Baat, XXX actress Aabha Paul sets Instagram on fire with hot photos
)
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan tells Amitabh Bachchan: 'I hope people don't...'
)
Shilpa Shetty breaks down, Salman Khan cancels shoot; celebs rush to Lilavati hospital after Baba Siddique shot dead
)
Amitabh Bachchan praises Abhishek Bachchan's new film, netizens ask 'kash ye Aishwarya...'
)
7 times XXX, Gandii Baat actress Aabha Paul crashed the internet by flaunting her sexy curves
)
After separation from ex-wife Saira Banu, AR Rahman makes major announcement: 'I am deeply grateful to...'
)
Shweta Tiwari's wedding photos with Bigg Boss 13 contestant Vishal Aditya Singh go viral, here's the truth behind them
)
This Pakistani Influencer's private video leaked online, days after Minahil Malik and Insha Rehman's clips
)
Mukesh Ambani's Jio to get tough competition from BSNL, plan provides unlimited benefits for less than Rs...
)
Meet Mathira Khan, Pakistani influencer whose private video leaked after Minahil Malik, Imsha Rehman
)
'Good to be back': After breaking up with Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor reunites with his 'partner-in-crime after ages'
)
After breakup with Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor dedicates his new tattoo to this special person in his life
)
'It's Abhishek, Aishwarya': Netizens react after celeb divorce lawyer says star couple is facing 'breakdown in marriage'
All the units of the 2,340MW Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS) will close down by May 15. Blame it on an unprecedented water scarcity. It means there will be more power shortage and extended load-shedding across the state (except Mumbai) this summer, energy minister Ajit Pawar told reporters at Nanded on Monday. The power station currently generates over 1900MW power.
The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company officials at Nagpur said that power cuts, particularly in rural areas, will increase in May, once the CSTPS comes to a complete halt. If the rains do not come as per schedule by the first week of June, the situation will worsen further. Currently, the duration of power cuts ranges between two hours and six hours.
The CSTPS authorities said that water level in Irai dam had tanked, forcing closure of two units. It has led to a 710MW power deficit. According to an internal assessment, the plant has just enough water to keep the remaining units running till May 15. But then, there will be a complete closure.
Chandrapur district has been badly hit by the insufficient rains last year. Irai dam, which supplies water to the state’s largest thermal power station, also gives drinking water to the city and the surrounding villages. Currently, the water level in the reservoir stands at 198 metre, which is just 8% of the full capacity, an irrigation department official said. The little water left in the dam has to be preserved to meet the drinking water needs of the city.
This the first time in 15 years that water scarcity will be forcing the CSTPS to shut down all its units. In December, the power station bought water from Chargaon dam in Warora, but it was exhausted in three months.
A senior MSEDCL official said, “We had expected the water level to go down post-May 30. By that time, the rains would have been near. For the intervening period, we had made arrangements to procure 1,900MW from other stations like Dhabol and Parli. But all our calculations have gone haywire. We will now have to decide whether to purchase it from the open market, and at what rate.”
