Frequent power cuts coupled with unbearable heat, Delhiites had a tough day on Wednesday as electricity demand shot up to 3158MW. Due to low frequency in northern grid, less than standard 49 hz, as the neighboring states overdrew the electricity, power failed around 50 times during the day, Delhi Transco officials said. The situation is likely to remain same at least in the next few days even as there will be a marginal fall in temperature, as predicted by the Met department. Officials said the power cuts would continue till there was no considerable fall in temperature.

The BJP will package its "good governance' plank with the "great betrayal' to present itself as a "viable alternative' to other parties in Karnataka. The party's manifesto, to be released on Thursday, will be a "viable good governance charter', as opposed to the "populist manifesto' already brought out by the Congress.

If the power department is to be believed, the regular interruptions in power supply that have been plaguing the city in the last few days are likely to stop from Wednesday. Till late in the afternoon on Tuesday, large parts of the city faced power cuts ranging from 15 minutes to almost an hour because of continuous low frequency in the Northern Grid. However, officials said that some shut power plants will start generating again from Tuesday.

Come summer and most of the States in the country go through a period of power cuts or unscheduled load shedding to bridge the gap between peak demand and supply. The targets for power generation during the last two five-year Plans have just not been met, and the chasm between power generation and demand has widened. A booming economy has led to increased power consumption and a higher peak hour demand. The offer of free power to the agriculture sector and a populist subsidy for domestic consumers have ensured that the demand for electricity from two large sections of users can only rise.

Acute power shortage has once again gripped the State, causing miseries to the consumers besides hitting trade and industry hard. While insufficient generation of power coupled with a decrepit transmission and distribution (T&D) network has been at the root of the problem, a spurt in theft of tower parts and conductors has made matters worse. According to the ASEB, theft of tower parts and conductors resulted in revenue loss of at least Rs 12 crore between March 29 and April 10 besides disrupting the T&D network.

As Delhi's temperature nears the 40-degree mark, the city is bracing for an uncomfortable summer. On Monday

Anil Ambani group's Reliance Power is looking to invest about $1 billion (Rs 4,000 crore) towards purchase of large-size vessels for shipping coal from abroad to its Krishnapatnam and other projects.

The Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) is making great strides in the field of utilization of solar energy to replace traditional electricity-fueled water heating systems in the state. Nearly 5 megawatts (MW) of energy is produced using this non-conventional source of energy. In 250 villages that are not connected by grid electricity, solar panels are providing hot water. The practice is also growing in areas around Thane and not without reason.

SILCHAR

There will be some relief from power cuts this summer, as 15 per cent more power will be available in the state as compared to last year. Stating this, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (Power) Ashok Lavasa said the extra power would be arranged by way of bilateral arrangements made with other states, including Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Madhya Pradesh.