Falling reservoir levels bode ill for hydro power generation this summer

NEW DELHI : Falling water levels in hydro power dams are raising worries, as a looming summer threatens to turn up power demand and strain the electricity grid..

Thanks to last year's late monsoon, scanty winter rains and lack of snowfall, reservoir levels fell 17% from a year earlier to 73.29 billion cubic metres (bcm) on Thursday, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed..

However, this winter, we witnessed only some scanty rains in late February and the formation of snow was also comparatively less, leading to no major source for snow melting and hydro power generation in the coming months..

The likely fall in hydro power generation could put further pressure on thermal plants going ahead. . "Hydro power plays an important role in Indias energy sector, providing electricity at competitive rates along with flexibility in supply..

"This will be a key monitorable as it could lead to surge in power demand from cooling equipment along with irrigation, coupled with higher water consumption needs, eating into hydro generation resources where water sources are common..