Calcutta, June 19: Two of the six power units that had collapsed in Kolaghat on Tuesday were revived this evening, but the districts still stayed dark because generation was low.

The 210MW units had collapsed after the switchyard of the Kolaghat thermal power plant got flooded.

Six pumps helped clear the water in the switchyard. “But there was a thick layer of slush in the switchyard which had to be cleared. This led to delay in repairs,” a power department official said.

The managing director of West Bengal Power Development Corporation, S. Mahapatra, said the two units generated about 200MW in the evening peak hours. “We hope to revive two more units by tomorrow afternoon. The remaining two may get started by Saturday,” Mahapatra said.

The minor improvement in Kolaghat, however, was offset by a snag in a 210MW unit at Bakreswar in Birbhum. The unit collapsed yesterday following a tube leak in its boiler.

The districts recorded a shortfall of 700MW this evening, leading to power cuts that ran to seven to eight hours on an average.

In Calcutta, there were rotational power cuts for about an hour in the evening.

The CESC had sought about 400MW from the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company but did not get more than 232MW.

“The power cuts in Calcutta were bearable today as the demand was low because of the cool weather. This evening the demand was 1,132MW. On a hot, humid day, the evening demand is 250MW to 300MW more,” a power official said.