Chief Minister directed the authorities to ensure un-interrupted power supply not only to domestic consumers but also to the industrial units during the winter season. He said this while presiding over a high level meeting with Rajwant Sandu, Chief Secretary, Dr. Srikant Baldi, Principal Secretary Finance, R.D.Dhiman, Chairman, HP State Electricity Board Limited, R.D.Nazeem, Director Energy, here today.
Chief Minister said that the State would be getting additional power from 16 October, 2011 and thermal power generation would also be picking up and regular power supply would be available to the consumers in the State. He said that although Himachal Pradesh happened to be power surplus state as more hydel projects were nearing completion hence additional power would be available in the State. He said that the State Government had entered into an agreement with the Power Trading Corporation of India for selling the State share of power generated in open market and the validity of the agreement had also been enhanced by one more year. He said that due to the freezing of glaciers and lakes on high altitude the downstream flow of the water had reduced substantially resulting in reduction in power generation. He said that keeping in view such conditions the State Government had made alternate arrangements to ensure un-interrupted power supply to domestic and commercial consumers in the State.
Prof. Dhumal directed the HPSEB Limited and State Energy Department to regularly monitor the power generation besides effectively checking transmission and distribution losses so that the power did not go waste. He said that the State Government would ensure that even during the lean winter season there were no power cuts and adequate electricity was available to the industrial units and domestic consumers. He said that the State had been supplying additional power to Punjab during Summer Season and would be getting back the same during the Winter Season, when power generation reduces considerably due to less water flow in the rivers in Himachal Pradesh. He said that Himachal Pradesh was the only state which was supplying domestic and commercial power to its consumers at the lowest power tariff. He said that the domestic consumers were getting electricity subsidy of Rs. 166 crore during current financial year which was Rs. 20 crore more as compared to preceding financial year.
