Electricity in Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh government takes care of its power generation and transmission of electricity through the company called the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL). The company picks up its power quota from the state owned generation unit called the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Uttpadan Nigam and the Uttar Pradesh Jal Vidyat Nigam Limited.

These are supplemented by the central government power generation units namely the NTPC limited and the THNC besides the Independent Power Producers or the IPP. The functional method of operation is through the modus operandi of the power purchase at the minimal cost for every or per unit calculated for electricity output.

There are seven operational zones of electricity distribution. They are namely the Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (DWW) or the Agra Zone; the Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MWNL) or the Lucknow zone Discom; the Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), the Varanasi zone Discom, the Kanpur Electricity supply company (KESCO) or the Kanpur City Discom; the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) on the Lucknow City Discom as well as the Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Limited (UPPTL) or the State Transmission Utility.

Seeing its power generation capacity as also its consumption the Uttar Pradesh government has looked at the possibilities of upgrading its output to meet the ever increasing demand. It is also a step towards taking care of the heavy loses incurred by the current power houses generating electricity for the state. Some of the major reasons for the heavy losses being regularly incurred by the various power generation and supply units are the high losses that are a result of the aged infrastructure that needs restructuring in a few places and total condemnation in others.

Then there is the currently inferior quality of transformers in use which are redundant as compared to the latest equipment which is versatile and highly efficient. Thus, replacement would definitely curtail the losses. In many aspects the reason for low inputs has also stemmed from the subsidized low cost power being supplied to poorer or marginalized sections of society. Of course, the large scale pilferage taking place regularly and unstintingly in many of the industrial units as well as a large part of the domestic areas is another of the major reasons of concern to account for the losses the state is sufficing in the power sector.

The losses incurred by the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited have been estimated to be around a minimum of Rs 20,000/- and an astromimal maximum of Rs 55,000/- crores. Seing there huge deficits the government has decided to set up Special Purpose Vehicles or SPVs which have also been called shell companies. The first one among these is the Bara Thermal Power Project being hosted by the Priyagraj Power Generation Company Limited. This Generator has an output of 3 X 660 MW and is still under construction. It is located in Bara tehsil of Allahabad.

There is also the Karcha Thermal Power Station which was being installed by the Sangam Power Generation Company Limited. This power generator station would have an output of 2 X 660 Mega Watts and is still under construction. This power station is coming up in Karchana tehsil of Allahabad district. These SPVs will ensure that the power growing power demand of the state are met, they may attract private investments as well as provide electricity at the lowest possible rates.