CHAPTER -XIV
Power
14.1.0 Power is the basic infrastructural requirement
for the growth of industries as well as over all economy of the State.
However, despite Assam possessing immense potential of power ranging
from hydel to natural gas including oil and coal resources, the progress
of this sector in the State has not taken place on a scale commensurate
with the possibilities. As a result, there exists a big gap between
availability and demand for power in the State.
14.1.1 the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB),
which was constituted in 1958 under Electricity (Supply) Act 1948 is
taking prime responsibility of integrated power development in the State
with the assistance of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO),
established by the Government of India in 1976 for hydel and thermal
generation of power in the region and Power Grid Corporation of India
Ltd (PGCIL), established in 1989 for integrated transmission system
in the country.
14.1.2 Assam accounts for only a small fraction
i.e. 0.16 per cent of the total generation of electricity in the country
during 2000-2001. On the contrary, consumption of power in the State
has been increasing in the recent years. The average per capita consumption
of electricity in the State was 120 Kwh in 2000-2001 and 140 Kwh in
2001-2002 as reported by the ASEB.
INSTALLED CAPACITY AND GENERATION OF POWER:
14.2.0 The installed capacity of power has remained
the same at 574.4 MW since 1997-98 till date. The power generation in
the State has gradually declined from the year 1006-97 and this downward
trend continued till 2002-2003. During the year 2001-2002, the generation
of power has decreased by 10.1 per cent as compared to the previous
year and it further declined by 11.2 per cent during the year 2002-2003.
The installed capacity of generating plant and generation of power in
the State during the last few years are shown in the table 14.1 and
14.2.
TABLE – 14.1
|
Installed Capacity of Generating Plant
(MW)
|
2000-2001
|
2001-2002
|
2002-2003
|
|
1. Thermal
|
300.000
|
300.00
|
300.000
|
|
2. Hydel
|
2.000
|
2.000
|
2.000
|
|
3. Gas
|
272.400
|
272.400
|
272.400
|
|
Total
|
574.400
|
574.400
|
574.400
|
|
|
Source: Assam State Electricity Board.
|
TABLE – 14.2
|
Unit Generated (MU)
|
2000-2001
|
2001-2002
|
2002-2003
|
|
1. Thermal
|
74,782
|
46.240
|
Nil
|
|
2. Hydel
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
|
3. Gas
|
860.178
|
794.166
|
746.094
|
|
Total
|
934.960
|
840.406
|
746.094
|
|
|
Source: Assam State Electricity Board.
|
POWER SUPPLY POSITION:
14.3.0 Since the past several years the overall
power supply position in the State has not been much satisfactory. The
Power supply position in Assam under Assam State Electricity Board is
shown in the Table – 14.3.
TABLE – 14.3
REQUIREMENT AND SHORT AGE OF ELECTRICITY IN ASSAM
|
Item
|
2000-2001
|
2001-2002
|
2002-2003
|
|
A. Energy Requirement (Million Unit)
|
3,323.160
|
3,415.317
|
3,500.000(P)
|
|
Availability (Million Unit)
|
2,984.970
|
3,301.588
|
3,304.737
|
|
Shortage (Percentage)
|
10.18
|
3.33
|
5.60
|
|
B. Peak Demand (MW)
|
552.500
|
578.300
|
614.000
|
|
Peak Demand Met (MW)
|
552.500
|
519.300
|
468.000
|
|
Shortage (Percentage)
|
00
|
10.20
|
23.78
|
|
|
(P) - Projected
Source: Assam State Electricity Board
|
14.3.1 In order to meet the domestic demand,
the State continued to purchase power from other sources. The amount
of power purchased have been increasing every year to meet the growing
domestic demand as a result of depletion in power generation under ASEB’s
own system. During 2001-2002, the net import of power by the State was
2461.182 MU and the same further increased to 2582.737 MU during 2002-2003.
The Table 14.4 shows the power generated within the State and power
purchased from the other sources by the State during the last three
years.
TABLE – 14.4
AVAILABILITY OF POWER IN ASSAM
(Million Unit KwH)
|
Year
|
Net Own Generation
|
Power purchased from other sources
|
Total Availability of Power
|
|
Private
|
Other State
|
Central Government
|
Total
|
|
2002-2001
|
934.960
|
140.125
|
162.665
|
1952.077
|
2254.867
|
3189.827
|
|
2001-2002
|
840.406
|
139.430
|
76.343
|
2245.409
|
2461.182
|
3301.588
|
|
2002-2003
|
746.694
|
113.614
|
17.364
|
2451.759
|
2582.737
|
3328.831
|
|
|
Source: Assam State Electricity Board
|
POWER CONSUMPTION:
14.4.0 The consumption of electricity in the
State has increased to 1783.913 MU Kwh during 2002-2003 as against 1682.978
MU Kwh during 2001-2002, thereby registering an increase of electricity
consumption by 6.0 per cent in the State over the year. The number of
consumers have also increased to 9,48,148 as on March 2002 from 9,02,196
as on March 2001. The pattern of consumption of power in the State shows
that consumption was highest in respect of domestic sector followed
by industrial sector and tea sector of the State. During the year 2002-2003,
domestic sector accounted for 37.1 per cent of the total consumption
of power in the State followed by industrial sector 17.5 per cent and
tea sector 14.5 per cent of the total power consumption. As compared
to the previous year the consumption of powr in the domestic sector
has increased by more than 16 per cent whereas the power consumption
in the industrial sector and also in the tea sector have decreased by
17.1 per cent and 12.2 per cent respectively. An idea about the pattern
of power consumption and number of consumers in the State may be seen
from the Table 14.5.
TABLE – 14.5
TYPE OF POWER CONSUMPTION AND NUMBER OF CONSUMERS IN ASSAM
|
Sl.
No
|
Type of Consumption
|
Sale of Electricity (MU)
|
No. of Consumers as on March/02
|
|
2001-2002
|
2002-2003
|
|
1.
|
Domestic
|
569.310
|
661.247
|
802270
|
|
2.
|
Commercial
|
164.060
|
195.420
|
118661
|
|
3.
|
Industrial
|
|
|
|
| |
(a) Low and Medium voltage
|
375.864
|
311.521
|
9003
|
| |
(b) High voltage
|
|
4.
|
Public lighting
|
4.627
|
4.559
|
542
|
|
5.
|
General purpose
|
28.322
|
40.464
|
N.A.
|
|
6.
|
Irrigation
|
9.489
|
10.838
|
2200
|
|
7.
|
Public water works
|
29.456
|
32.322
|
1440
|
|
8.
|
Tea Garden
|
294.707
|
258.712
|
N.A.
|
|
9.
|
Bulk supply in the State
|
207.143
|
226.595
|
N.A.
|
|
10.
|
Bulk supply outside the State
|
N.A.
|
N.A.
|
N.A.
|
|
11.
|
Oil and Coal
|
N.A.
|
42.234
|
N.A.
|
|
12.
|
Miscellaneous
|
N.A.
|
N.A.
|
14032
|
| |
Total Unit sold to Ultimate Consumers
|
1682.978
|
1783.912
|
948148
|
|
|
N.A.. – Not Available.
Source: Assam State Electricity Board.
|
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION:
14.5.0 The total number of villages electrified
in Assam was 19039 as on March 2003, out of the 24685 inhabited villages
of the State as per 1991 Census. Thus, the percentage of villages electrified
in the State was 77.13 per cent at the end of March 2003.
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