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Ranchi, May 20: Most parts of the state, barring the capital city, were forced to go without power for prolonged periods since early morning today after a Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL) unit tripped, plunging power generation to a paltry 230MW against a normal demand of over 850MW.
This is the second time in seven days that a TVNL unit failed. On May 13, both units at TVNL and one at Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) had developed technical snags, forcing frequent power cuts across the state for the next four days.
TVNL general manager R. Sahu, speaking over the phone from Lalpania in Bokaro district, confirmed today’s snag and promised relief by late evening. “A unit at TVNL tripped early in the morning. We are on the job and expect the unit, which has an installed capacity of 220MW, to be synchronised to the state grid by evening,” he said.
Figures released by the eastern load despatch centre indicated that total generation from the single functioning TVNL unit and two units at Patratu hovered around 230MW. Towards evening, the generation picked up and stood at 340MW. Although the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) drew around 350MW from the eastern grid to match demand and supply, a deficit of nearly 300MW forced the power utility to order blackouts in phases.
The state capital was, however, spared the trouble. JSEB superintendent engineer Ram Janam Singh said no load shedding had been ordered in the city.
“Full load is being given to Ranchi. Maintenance jobs are on in full swing in many of the residential areas of the capital, particularly on Kanke Road. Barring these, all other areas were given power,” he said.
However, parts of Ranchi and East Singhbhum districts, West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Gumla, Lohardaga, Khunti, Simdega, Chatra, Latehar, Koderma, Palamau, Giridih and Deoghar bore the brunt of the TVNL snag, remaining without power for anything between two to four hours at a stretch.
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