John Wilbert & Vikramadity
Port Blair, July 25: Over the past few weeks, the residents of Port Blair have been grappling with frequent and prolonged power cuts, leaving them bewildered and helpless. Additionally, power fluctuations have exacerbated the situation, further adding to the inconvenience faced by the people of the city. The worst part is that even if on one or two occasions power cut schedules are published, it is hardly followed, because of which the public find it difficult to schedule their urgent tasks. It seems there is no end to the power crisis in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Adding to the plight the Electricity Department has declared two hour load shedding from today and Islanders know that which unofficially means more than 6 to 8 hour power cuts.
Moreover, the power cuts have had far-reaching implications on small businesses, particularly those in the hospitality and tourism sector. Small hotels, homestays, and petty shops have suffered heavy financial losses as they struggle to provide satisfactory services to their guests amid the erratic power supply.
As per public areas like Prem Nagar and its adjoining localities have been particularly affected, experiencing multiple power outages during the evening hours. The consistent power failures have resulted in significant distress for the residents, especially the elderly and young children, whose health has been impacted.
In response to the concerns raised by the public, the Andaman Sheekha Daily contacted a senior officer from the Electricity Department to inquire about the reasons behind the persistent power cuts. The officer informed that the city had experienced a total of three shutdowns recently, with Prem Nagar being one of the affected areas. Regarding the particular case of Prem Nagar, technical issues with the RNU (Remote Network Unit) at Prem Nagar junction were identified as the cause for the morning outage. The department promptly initiated repair work, and by 09:35 AM today, power supply was restored. Despite a couple of additional brief shutdowns, the team worked diligently to ensure smooth power supply, attributing the interruptions to the surge in power demand.
The senior officer added that the department presently operates two departmental and four private power plants, along with two solar power plants, to meet the day’s electricity demand. However, the peak demand during evening hours exceeds the available capacity of 35 MW, reaching up to 40 MW in Port Blair and South Andaman.
To mitigate the power deficit, the department has implemented Demand Side Management (DSM) measures and is procuring additional power from private plants during peak hours.
Furthermore, the installation of 10 MW and 5 MW DG plants on a rental basis is underway and expected to be operational soon, aimed at addressing the present power scarcity during peak demand hours.
