Srinagar- As snowfall continues to elude Kashmir, the Power Development Department (PDD) of Jammu and Kashmir has sounded alarms, emphasizing the crucial role of snow in hydroelectric power generation.
Highlighting the potential impact of the absence of snowfall in the peak winter, Principal Secretary PDD, H Rajesh Prasad said, “the ongoing dry spell might not have an immediate impact but it will definitely affect the generation in coming summer and winter.”
“Let’s hope it snows immediately, otherwise there might be some difficulties, which can’t be assessed as of now,” Pradad told Kashmir Observer.
A Junior engineer from the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) said that the J&K has the potential to generate around 20,000 megawatts of hydel power but generates only around 1200 megawatts.
“With the absence of snowfall, there will be electricity crises throughout the year,” he said.
Notably, the power department is already facing heavy criticism from the public for failing to provide adequate power supply during the winters.
It may be noted that the UT presently has 13 hydroelectric projects with installed capacity of 1,197.4 MWs located in various districts.
The main contributor among these projects is the Baglihar power project built on Chenab River in the Doda district. The project has a total capacity of 900 MW.
The Sumbal power projects produce 17 MWs, followed by the Kangan power project and Lower Jhelum project generating 105 MWs each. Upper Sindh-I contributes 22.6 MWs, Upper Sindh-II in Kangan produces 105 MWs, the Old-Ganderbal power project generates 15 MWs, and Pahalgam Powerhouse produces 4.5 MWs. The Karnah Powerhouse has a capacity of only 2 MWs.
In Jammu province, the Chenani-I Hydroelectric Project generates 23.30 MWs, while Chenani-II produces 2 MWs, and Chenani-III generates 7.5 MWs. The Bhaderwah power project generates 1.5 MWs, and the Seva Project—III produces only 9 MWs. The other projects fall in Ladakh UT.
All these projects don’t cover the demand of the electricity in the winters due to “less water” in the UT as a result the PDD has to purchase the electricity from the Central grid, New Delhi.
“The water level in these hydro projects is minimum as of now and we are generating about 250MWs, however if the climate remains dry, it will impact in next year,” Prasad said, adding, “anything happening in J&K will have impact on other states as National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) supplies power to other state of the country”
Prasad claimed that the NHPC also supplies around 60 percent of the electricity to the UT as well.
In December 2023, H Rajesh Prasad told reporters that water shortage in the valley that year brought down J&K’s power generation by 85 percent. a
“From the state pool, we have a power generation capacity of 1200 MWs. However, due to the shortage of water, we are generating only 150 MWs during the ongoing winters,” Prasad had told a news agency.
An official said that in winters the UT was able to generate only 250 MW of electricity against the demand of over 1800 MW’s through hydroelectricity, however, if it doesn’t snow in peak Chillai-Kalan, the situation can be “unimaginable”.
Notably, Prasad had blamed rainfall deficit and the melting of glaciers as the reason for less generation of electricity, last year.
Prasad added that the UT is able to generate 600 MWs of electricity as of now.
According to the Meteorological department the Union Territory recorded 100 percent less rainfall from the last two months.
The data available with Kashmir Observer reveals that almost all the districts record less rainfall. Sources have said that the low water levels in the Jhelum and other tributaries lead to difficulties in electricity generation
On Monday, the water level in the Jhelum hit the lowest due to a prolonged dry spell. “River Jhelum was flowing at -0.75 feet at Sangam (Anantnag district) and -0.86 feet at Asham (Bandipora district) on Sunday morning. This is the lowest water level in the river,” an official said.
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