Patna: Bihar’s power utility will purchase electricity from the open market for six months during the peak summer season, after regulators approved a proposal to address an anticipated supply shortfall between April and September.
The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission has cleared the move, which will allow the company to procure power at rates estimated to be two to three times higher than those on normal days. The decision follows projections of rising demand and potential generation gaps during the summer months.
According to officials, the state could face a deficit ranging from 189MW to 615MW in April, rising to between 232MW and 680MW in May. The shortfall is expected to widen further to 436MW–874MW in June and could peak between 244MW and 1,660MW in July. In August, the deficit may range from 538MW to 1,143MW, before easing to between 339MW and 686MW in September.
The power company sought permission from the regulator to procure electricity from the open market for a limited period, citing high demand during peak evening hours, particularly between 7pm and 11pm. After hearing the utility’s arguments, the commission granted approval in line with guidance from the Union ministry of power.
Bihar currently has long-term agreements totalling 11,764MW. Of this, 7,743MW is sourced from thermal power, 1,356MW from hydropower, 1,922MW from solar, 699MW from wind energy and 44MW from biomass.
Last year, the state recorded a maximum power demand of 8,752MW. While contracted capacity exceeds this figure, officials said outages in hydropower generation, maintenance shutdowns at thermal plants and variability in wind energy often result in temporary deficits of 1,500MW to 2,000MW.
The open market purchases are intended as a contingency measure to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during the summer surge in consumption.
