Power Crisis

North India braces for a major power crisis due to torrential rains

New Delhi: North India is bracing for yet another major power crisis following the sudden heavy onset of monsoon. The country's biggest hydropower plant, the Nathpa Jhakri power project, in Himachal Pradesh was forced to shut down following torrential rains and heavy silting in the Sutlej river.

The power plant generated the highest amount of electricity this season and supplies electricity to most of North India, including Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Authorities have given no time limit and claim the plant will remain shut until the situation improves.

Arriving almost a fortnight in advance than its usual date, the southwest monsoon brought heavy rains in several parts of North India.

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Jammu and Kashmir officials asked to ensure power supply

Jammu: With the chorus against inadequate water supply and power outage in the city growing louder by the day, Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Planning and Development Ajay Kumar Sadhotra on Friday asked the engineers to ensure "best possible service" to the people. "Ensure best possible service within given resources keeping in view the unprecedented climatic conditions," Sadhotra asked the officials during a high level meeting held in Jammu. The...  

Infrastructure of BSES responsible for power cuts: Dikshit

New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday slammed two BSES discoms for long outages in the city and said the power cuts are taking place due to poor distribution infrastructure and not because of gap in demand and supply. "We have made available adequate power. There is no gap in demand and supply. The power cuts are taking place in areas served by BSES discoms due to their poor...  

Manipur: CM looks to export power even as Imphal gets just 5 hrs electricity per day

Imphal: Right To Information Activist Kumar Satyajit is on a mission. His only focus is to find answers to the acute electricity problems that stares Manipur on the face. Imphal is perhaps the only Indian city that doesn't get electricity for more than five hours a day. At a stretch, electricity supply doesn't exist for more than two hours in a 24 hour cycle. People are forced to buy inverters...  

Sad that nuclear power Pak has no electricity: Sharif

Lahore: Pakistan's Prime Minister-designate Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said it was "sad" that a country with nuclear arsenal has been hit with severe power shortage and drew parallel with India which he said had moved ahead. "It is sad that a nuclear power is without power for up to 20 hours (a day). Are other nuclear powers in the same state as Pakistan? We should look into the reasons why...  

UP govt to ensure adequate power supply: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow: Amid public resentment over power crisis, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said the state government will work on a large scale to ensure power supply was in accordance with the electricity demand. The Samajwadi Party government has inherited a loss of Rs 25,000 crore from the previous Mayawati regime, but it was working on setting up of new projects which would free people of the power...  

Pak bans ACs to ease power crisis, issues new dress code

Islamabad: Grappling with power outages across the country, the Pakistan government on Wednesday banned the use of air conditioners in its offices from May 15 and introduced a "summer dress code" for employees. Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso decided to impose the ban in all government departments and offices, an official statement said. Khoso directed authorities to introduce a new dress code for government employees to help them...  

Andhra Pradesh: Acute power crisis hits weavers

Hyderabad: The acute power shortage in Andhra Pradesh is hitting the largest worker sectors in the state's coastal region. Balla Agastya is a skilled weaver. His loom and his art have been inherited down generations. Weaving is the livelihood of thousands in coastal Andhra and Rayalseema. Their Gadwal sarees, their Jamdani and Kalamkari work sells across the country. A single bulb for the delicate threadwork and a fan in the...  

AP reels under acute power crisis despite crores being spent

Hyderabad: The Opposition in Andhra Pradesh has been accusing the state government of mismanagement as the state reels under power crisis. The question that remains to be answered is as to why the state is facing its worse energy crisis in 40 years despite crores being spent on setting up power plants. In spite of an installed capacity of 3,800 Megawatts, Andhra Pradesh produces just 500 Megawatts, buying power for...  

AP: Seven hours of free power to farmers a myth?

Hyderabad: In several districts Andhra Pradesh, the state government has not been able to keep its big promise of 7 hours of free power to farmers, pushing desperate farmers to take matters into their own hands, often with tragic consequences. Chief Minister Kiran Reddy's claim seems far fetched with Andhra Pradesh facing an acute power crisis. CNN-IBN travelled to Medak, where seven hours of free power is a myth, claim...  

AP: Power woes threaten survival of small and medium scale industries

Jeedimetla: Andhra Pradesh is reeling under its worst power crisis, and bearing the brunt of it are small and medium scale industries, which are losing 70 per cent of their revenues due to lack of electricity. Several industries are now standing on the brink of shutting down. Once a bustling industrial town, Jeedimetla now wears a grim look. Andhra Pradesh's power crisis had brought small and medium scale industries to...  

Andhra Pradesh govt hikes electricity tariff by 15 pc

Ignoring opposition protests and despite an unprecedented electricity shortage, Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday hiked the electricity tariff by about 15 per cent, imposing over Rs 6,000 crore burden on people. ...  

Andhra battles electricity cuts, govt says use solar power

Political protests, indefinite hunger strikes and fierce debates in the state assembly, Andhra Pradesh's opposition parties have trained all their guns at the Chief Minister, accusing him of mismanaging the deepening power crisis in the state. Proving seven hours of free electricity to farmers and reducing tariff burden on consumers, however, remain their key demands. ...  

Lack of fuel reason for power shortage: Electricity Authority

Shortage of fuel - both gas and coal - was the only reason for the growing electricity scarcity in the country, particularly in the south, Central Electricity Authority Chairman AS Bakshi said in Hyderabad on Saturday. "Coal shortage will continue for at least 3-4 years though we have adequate reserves. Domestic coal supply to power generating stations has increased by eight per cent in 2013, but still there will be...  

Budget yatra: Industry in Coimbatore hit by power crisis

In the run up to the Budget Session CNN-IBN's Budget yatra travels to Coimbatore, which is hailed for its industrial growth. But with India's growth numbers dipping drastically in the past few years, has Coimbatore been affected? ...  

More power projects need of the hour in Tamil Nadu: Meenakshi Mahadevan

Tamil Nadu faces a severe power shortage problem. With the state reeling under regular and prolonged periods of power cuts, DMK supremo Karunanidhi has just launched a statewide agitation. Meenakshi Mahadevan of CNN-IBN joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on what the government's plans to do to tackle the situation and if a solution is in sight. ...  

TN: Power shortage hits hospitality industry

Chennai: There is a glimmer of hope for power authorities in Tamil Nadu after the Cabinet approved a bailout package for the sector on Monday evening. From a 2,000 mega watt crunch a year ago, the state now suffers a deficit of almost 4,000 mega watt. The electricity crunch in Tamil Nadu that hit homes and industries has now hit the hospitality sector. Hotels and restaurants have been asked to...  

AP power crisis: YSR Congress calls 3-day bandh

Hyderabad: The YSR Congress party has called for a three-day bandh in the state to protest against the ongoing power crisis in the state. The protest will be launched on Tuesday and end on Friday. The state is facing an unprecedented shortfall of almost 50 million units per day of power. The Congress government imposed a five-hour power cut in major cities including capital Hyderabad to tide over the deficit,...  

AP power crisis: BJP calls for all-party meet

Hyderabad: The BJP on Saturday demanded that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy call an all-party meeting to discuss the prevailing power crisis in the state. Acute power shortage in the state has been affecting its development. It has severely affected functioning of industries, particularly small scale units, which posed a threat to their 20 lakh-odd employees, BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya told reporters in Hyderabad. Accusing the Congress Government...  

Power crisis: AP govt imposes 5-hour cuts

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is prescribing a desperate dose to tide over an unprecedented shortfall of almost 50 million units per day. The deficit has forced the government to impose a five-hour power cut in major cities including capital Hyderabad. Even as the state government blames deficit rains and decline in gas-based power generation, farmers are bearing the brunt of the shortfall. One of the farmers,...