As the winters in Jammu and Kashmir has almost made its way to enter the valleys, the usual old haunting companion of power shortage remains there.
Since the last week of month of September, the power generation capacity has reduced by more than 45 percent as per the reports.
However, the story of the shortage is not the only one in this year. A pretty significant change gives a ray of hope, the region was granted an extra 800 MW out of the central pool in 2024 and this number has been increased by another 500 MW this year.
Such a move from the Centre with this increased allocation is very important and highly welcome. It is an essential lifeline that keeps the wheels of the domestic, medical, and business sectors turning even if they are barely working during the freezing winter months.
This step is a recognition of the energy crisis that the region is suffering from and a confirmation of the central government’s involvement in solving this problem. These extra units are not simply for lighting homes; they allow heating, make economic activities possible, and help maintain a certain degree of normalcy when local generation drops.
Nevertheless, while we are appreciating this indispensable aid, we should also understand that it is a temporary solution rather than a remedy.
The 45% decrease in the local generation capacity powerfully reminds us that we are hugely dependent on run-of-the-river hydro projects, which are extremely susceptible to seasonal changes.
Consequently, the answer to the problem lies not only in purchasing more electricity but more importantly in totally revamping our domestic energy infrastructure. In this way, we would not only shield ourselves from seasonal decreases and be able to change the energy landscape from vulnerable to resilient, but also it would be beneficial for the energy sector
Moreover, this situation does little to create a necessary and urgent willingness for the modernization of our old and worn-out transmission and distribution network, which has been suffering from high losses and inefficiencies.
The way out of this situation requires a twofold plan. First of all, we have to be grateful for the help that the central government provides and that makes it possible for us to have electricity at present. Secondly, and most importantly, we should not waste this opportunity of a breather to actually come forward with a concrete and time-bound plan of achieving energy self-sufficiency.
That is to say, hydro projects that are on the shelf need to be quickly brought to completion, in order to create a balanced portfolio, the use of solar and wind energy for the sake of diversification should be considered, and smart-grid movement to decrease theft and technical losses should be launched.
