GUWAHATI, July 15: Power demand in Assam has touched nearly 2,800 MW this season, the highest ever. But despite having enough electricity from power plants and the Central Grid, many areas are still facing outages and low voltage.
The reason, officials are pointing to, is the state’s old transmission network. Key 132 KV lines, some over 30 years old in Lower Assam, are now under heavy stress. They are prone to overloading, voltage issues, and frequent tripping, especially during peak summer evenings and the agricultural season.
Substations at Samaguri and Salakati are also running short on capacity compared to the growing load. Because the transformers can’t evacuate power fast enough, they are creating bottlenecks that disrupt supply even when power generation is sufficient.
To avoid major breakdowns, load-shedding is being carried out. The result is unreliable power supply, more planned and unplanned outages, and higher costs for running the system in rural and semi-urban areas.
The government says a fix is already in motion. Projects worth Rs 4,000 crore are being implemented to upgrade transmission lines, replace old conductors, and add capacity. One of the projects is being funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Officials expect the upgrades to ease the pressure significantly once completed.