KOLKATA: A day after Kolkata recorded the best temperature in 4 many years, town and the remainder of the state on Friday registered the best ever energy consumption of 12,663 MW, over 850 MW greater than the earlier excessive recorded final June. Pushed majorly by means of air-conditioners, energy demand might scale even increased peaks this summer time as energy utilities anticipate the addition of some lakh extra ACs earlier than the arrival of monsoon.
The brand new file, nonetheless, has left CESC, the personal utility that provides electrical energy to Kolkata, and WBSEDCL, the state utility that caters to Salt Lake, New City and the remainder of the state, fretting.Officers at each energy distribution models are spending sleepless nights over the large pressure on infrastructure that’s stretched to close capability. They concern that if demand continues to surge, it’s only a matter of time earlier than transformers start to journey and switch this already-torrid summer time extra horrid.
On Friday night, each WBSEDCL and CESC regist-ered file demand. Whereas WBSEDCL scaled the file at 11.30pm with consumption touching 9,935 MW, CESC’s file of two,728 MW was achieved at 3.15pm. Earlier than this, the best consumption recorded by WBSEDCL was 9,200 MW on June 18, 2023 and by CESC 2,606 MW two days earlier on June 16.
Officers at each WBSEDCL and CESC are in little doubt that Friday night’s file will probably be damaged once more this summer time, if not within the subsequent few days, undoubtedly in June when humidity ranges of over 90% combines with temperature hovering round 39°C-40°C to show town right into a sauna. Previously few years, town has witnessed the upper buy and utilization of AC in June. The present estimate of home ACs within the state is round 12 lakh.
Whereas increased electrical energy consumption was excellent news for energy firms until a couple of years in the past, it’s not so with the utilities struggling to foretell the expansion in AC gross sales and perform proportional improve of their community. On Thursday evening, the overload prompted the strained infrastructure to snap, tripping energy provide twice that plunged the entire of Salt Lake, New City and elements of north and south Kolkata together with Mominpur and Bhela into dar kness.
Town has seen a number of outages this summer time as a result of overload inflicting junction containers and transformers to journey. There has additionally been a spike in cable fault because of the extreme warmth, each atmospheric and load-related. Some areas have additionally been suffering from voltage fluctuations, pointing to the pressure on the community.
“There i s sufficient energy within the grid to satisfy the demand. The infrastructure — cables, transformers and junction containers — are performing at optimum capability. W e are attempting to reinforce capability in order that it could possibly take extra load however that might take two-three months. Until then, we’ve got to handle the load,” stated state energy minister Aroop Biswas.
Officers on the energy utilities stated the n etwork was already stretched and will take some extra load however not way more. The tripping that plunged practically 5 lakh properties into darkness on Thursday has prompted the ability de partment to hasten the augmentation of a vital substation at Subhasgram the place p ower from the grid flows into the state transmission line for distribution in WBSEDCL and CESC areas. However the improve of the transformer from 1,000 MVA to 1,500 MVA can begin after elections conclude in June and can take no less than two months to get accomplished. “The infrastructure improve will occur this 12 months however it is going to serve to handle the load subsequent summer time,” an official stated.
The brand new file, nonetheless, has left CESC, the personal utility that provides electrical energy to Kolkata, and WBSEDCL, the state utility that caters to Salt Lake, New City and the remainder of the state, fretting.Officers at each energy distribution models are spending sleepless nights over the large pressure on infrastructure that’s stretched to close capability. They concern that if demand continues to surge, it’s only a matter of time earlier than transformers start to journey and switch this already-torrid summer time extra horrid.
On Friday night, each WBSEDCL and CESC regist-ered file demand. Whereas WBSEDCL scaled the file at 11.30pm with consumption touching 9,935 MW, CESC’s file of two,728 MW was achieved at 3.15pm. Earlier than this, the best consumption recorded by WBSEDCL was 9,200 MW on June 18, 2023 and by CESC 2,606 MW two days earlier on June 16.
Officers at each WBSEDCL and CESC are in little doubt that Friday night’s file will probably be damaged once more this summer time, if not within the subsequent few days, undoubtedly in June when humidity ranges of over 90% combines with temperature hovering round 39°C-40°C to show town right into a sauna. Previously few years, town has witnessed the upper buy and utilization of AC in June. The present estimate of home ACs within the state is round 12 lakh.
Whereas increased electrical energy consumption was excellent news for energy firms until a couple of years in the past, it’s not so with the utilities struggling to foretell the expansion in AC gross sales and perform proportional improve of their community. On Thursday evening, the overload prompted the strained infrastructure to snap, tripping energy provide twice that plunged the entire of Salt Lake, New City and elements of north and south Kolkata together with Mominpur and Bhela into dar kness.
Town has seen a number of outages this summer time as a result of overload inflicting junction containers and transformers to journey. There has additionally been a spike in cable fault because of the extreme warmth, each atmospheric and load-related. Some areas have additionally been suffering from voltage fluctuations, pointing to the pressure on the community.
“There i s sufficient energy within the grid to satisfy the demand. The infrastructure — cables, transformers and junction containers — are performing at optimum capability. W e are attempting to reinforce capability in order that it could possibly take extra load however that might take two-three months. Until then, we’ve got to handle the load,” stated state energy minister Aroop Biswas.
Officers on the energy utilities stated the n etwork was already stretched and will take some extra load however not way more. The tripping that plunged practically 5 lakh properties into darkness on Thursday has prompted the ability de partment to hasten the augmentation of a vital substation at Subhasgram the place p ower from the grid flows into the state transmission line for distribution in WBSEDCL and CESC areas. However the improve of the transformer from 1,000 MVA to 1,500 MVA can begin after elections conclude in June and can take no less than two months to get accomplished. “The infrastructure improve will occur this 12 months however it is going to serve to handle the load subsequent summer time,” an official stated.
