The Western Discom has initiated scheduled daily power shutdowns of at least two hours as Indore grapples with record-breaking electricity demand. The shutdowns come amid increasing consumer complaints regarding frequent blackouts and electrical faults.
Details of Scheduled Shutdowns
According to Madhya Pradesh Paschim Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited officials, the department is conducting scheduled shutdowns in 20 to 25 locations during early morning hours. PRO Avdhesh Sharma said that these shutdowns were part of an ongoing pre-monsoon maintenance campaign that began in April and is expected to conclude by next week.
Unscheduled Outages
Residents, however, are also facing approximately 10 unscheduled shutdowns daily. These are attributed to ongoing construction of roads, flyovers, and Metro work, as well as increasing reports of fires that require immediate power isolation. “Besides, at least 50 incidents of power tripping are reported across the city every day,” he said. While unscheduled shutdowns typically last between two and 45 minutes, the cumulative effect is causing significant disruption for consumers amid the heatwave.
Summer Effect on Power Demand
- Power demand surged by 150 MW (from 475 MW to a peak of 640 MW).
- Daily consumption up by 40 lakh units (from 90 lakh units prior to April to the current 1.35 crore).
Cooling Measures for Infrastructure
To manage the increased load, the discom has implemented cooling measures: water is applied to the ground earthing of transformers to maintain conductivity, and fans and coolers have been installed at 50 locations to prevent transformer overheating.
