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Power crunch delays thermal plant works

Currently, three thermal power units under TSGenco are under outage
Hyderabad: The overhaul of several thermal power units in TSGenco is running behind schedule due to the ongoing power crunch. This is the time of the year when overhaul work is wrapped up for thermal units. Also, most thermal plants in the undivided state are running beyond their half-life and are prone to frequent breakdowns.
Currently, three thermal power units under TSGenco are under outage. Two units of Kothagudem III and IX, as well as one unit of Ramagundam are under outage. Also, one unit of Nagarjunasagar is under outage. In fact, six units of Kothagudem are yet to complete the overhaul work, which itself is a huge task.
“For each unit, it takes over a month to complete the overhaul works, and at this rate there is very little chance of completing the entire overhaul process before the power demand picks up. The tripping of units has increased and we are facing a huge problem maintaining continuity. Over the last three to four years, most thermal plants have been overused and are in dire need of overhaul,” said an insider.
A unit of Ramagundam B., whose overhaul began in September, is not yet finished. “The time taken sometimes is more than one-and-a-half or two months. This makes the task very difficult and it will be increasingly difficult with the power demand increasing with the next crop season starting within a fortnight,” added a source.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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