Data from sources in the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) reveals that between March 1 and April 15, Kolkata’s primary power supplier has only received 34,850 applications for new AC connections. On the contrary, estimates suggest that a staggering 1.5 lakh ACs were purchased during this period – this translates to 80 per cent of ACs being used without official sanction.
This unauthorised use of ACs is wreaking havoc on Kolkata’s power grid, leading to frequent fluctuations. The situation has now prompted the state power minister Aroop Biswas to call an urgent meeting to address the issue and find solutions to ensure a stable electricity supply in Kolkata.
While the CESC has processed 34,850 applications for an additional load of around 40MW between March and mid-April, the highest peak demand that Kolkata has witnessed at night in the last 10 days is around 192MW, which is higher than what it was last year.
“This means there is an additional consumption of around 192MW but the additional load that people have declared is only 40MW,” said a CESC official.
“If you plan on adding appliances that require a high amount of power, such as air conditioners, it is important to increase your sanctioned load beforehand. This process is very fast and we try to complete it within 24 hours,” the official added.
“The peak demand was 2,728 MW on Friday [April 26]. Last year, the peak demand was 2,606 MW. We have served this already… it is not the increased demand for electricity which is creating problems rather it is the unauthorised way of using ACs,” a senior CESC official said.
The official explained that the CESC does not have a problem with people buying ACs during summer. But when people install ACs without getting the necessary permits, they can overload the local power grid and lead to automatic shutdowns or even day-long power cuts, the official added.
“CESC is urging people to get proper authorisation before using air conditioners. A small number of ACs is manageable, but when a significant portion of residents use them without authorisation, it creates a huge strain on the system. If the overload is too high, the smart grid will automatically shut down to prevent damage. We want to appeal to people to take sanction and then use ACs,” CESC Executive Director Avijit Ghosh told The Indian Express.
Amid unrelenting heat, the residents of Bhowanipore, Kasba, Hastings, Paddapukur Road, Madhav Chatterjee Street and Ballygunge areas are facing power cuts. Earlier, these outages were limited to suburban areas. Most of the power cuts are occurring in fringe localities where new buildings have mushroomed in recent years, leading to a spike in the use of ACs, sources said.
As per reports, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has also reported a significant rise in power demand. Between March and mid-April, they received over 27,437 applications for increased meter capacity. However, only 60 per cent of these applicants (around 16,612) completed the process by making the necessary payments. This suggests that potentially over 10,000 families might be exceeding their sanctioned power limits.
There is no respite from the heatwave conditions prevailing in West Bengal till Saturday, as per the weather department. For nearly nine days, Kolkata has been recording maximum temperatures above 40°C. On Monday, at 41.7°C, the city witnessed the highest recorded maximum temperature in April in 44 years. The forecast for Tuesday is also above the 41°C mark.
Across the state, Kalaikunda, with a record-breaking high of 45.4°C, and Malda, at 42.2°C, have recorded the highest temperatures.
As per the weather office, till Wednesday, heatwave-like conditions are likely at one or two places over Malda and North and South Dinajpur districts. Hot and humid weather is also likely at one or two places in Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar and Alipurduar districts.
From Sunday, however, some parts of Bengal are likely to witness rain. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds are likely to occur at one or two places over Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts.
As per the weather office, two places in West Bengal have been ranked in the top 10 hottest places in the country: Kalaikunda in West Medinipur district and Malda district. Kalaikunda and Gujarat’s Kandala recorded a maximum temperature of 45.4°C on Monday. They were followed by Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh (45°C), Baripada in Odisha (44.8°C), Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh (44.2°C), Sheikhpura in Bihar (44°C), Nizamabad in Telangana (43.8°C), Panvel in Mumbai (43.3°C), Malda (42.2°C) and Kerala’s Palakkad (41.3°C).