Reservoirs Down 93%, Telangana Braces For Power Strain
The presentation explained that El Niño created a cascading effect on the power sector
Hyderabad: With live water storage in Telangana’s four major hydel reservoirs crashing from 287 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) a year ago to just 19 tmc ft on July 20, the state is preparing for a difficult power season as El Nino threatens to sharply reduce hydropower generation at the dams and increase dependence on coal-burning thermal stations and costly electricity purchases.
The assessment, presented by Telangana State Load Despatch Centre (TGSLDC) chief engineer P. Suresh Babu during a seminar on El Nino, warned that the sharp fall in reservoir levels could leave the state with very little hydel support during periods of peak electricity demand.
Equivalent stored hydel energy had fallen from 1,576 million units (MU) last year to 101 MU now, while cumulative hydel generation since June has dropped nearly 79 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year. Srisailam, which generated about 374 MU in 2025, has contributed virtually no power this season.
The presentation explained that El Niño created a cascading effect on the power sector. Higher day and night temperatures increased electricity demand for cooling and agricultural pumping, while below normal rainfall reduced reservoir inflows and increases irrigation requirements. With hydel generation shrinking, the burden shifted to thermal power stations and electricity procured from power exchanges.
The impact was already visible, data showed. Between July 1 and 19, Telangana recorded a peak demand of 16,650 MW, up 7.8 per cent from last year, while the energy supplied increased 6.2 per cent. During August to October, peak demand is projected to touch 18,203 MW. Without hydel support, the state could face a peak shortfall of up to 5,503 MW, making evening and night hours the most challenging.
The stress would extend beyond Telangana. During non-solar hours this month, purchase bids on the power exchanges rose 44 per cent over last year, while electricity offered for sale fell 30 per cent. Cleared volumes dropped 34 per cent, more than half the trading blocks hit the market ceiling price of ₹10 per unit and unmet demand more than doubled, indicating that even bidding the maximum price may not guarantee electricity availability.
To minimise the impact, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed the Telangana Power Generation Corporation (TGGenco) to maximise thermal generation and announced immediate inspections of SCCL coal mines to ensure uninterrupted supplies of quality coal to thermal stations, Babu informed.
The government also plans to conserve limited hydel generation for peak demand, shift agricultural pumping and other flexible loads to daytime when solar generation is high, improve coordination among power utilities and promote efficient electricity use in line with advisories issued by the Union Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Authority.
