Electricity imports by Southern Region rise sharply

Official statistics on interregional electricity transfer suggest that electricity imports by Southern Region rose sharply in the first half (H1: April to September) of FY24.

According to latest statistics released by Grid Controller of India (Grid-India), the Southern Regional Grid (SR) saw a growth of nearly 35 per cent in electricity imports from other regional grids. This was coupled by a sharp 50 per cent fall in exports from SR.

In H1 of FY24, SR imported 37,344 MU (million units or million kwh or Gwh) of electricity from other grids – 34.9 per cent higher than the comparable 27,686 MU in H1 of FY23. On the other hand, exports from SR dropped sharply to 6,852 MU in H1 of FY24 from 13,691 MU.

Around 55 per cent of SR’s imports in H1 of FY24, at 20,519 MU, came from WR. This quantum was 72 per cent higher than the corresponding 11,915 MU in H1 of FY23. More than half of SR’s imports from WR in H1 of FY24 were through the Raigarh-Pugalur HVDC line.

Here are some other highlights of interregional electricity transfer between the five regional grids – western (WR), eastern (ER), northern (NR), southern (SR) and northeastern (NER).

• Total electricity transfer between the five regional grids in H1 of FY24, at 123,918 MU, was 3 per cent higher than the corresponding 120,353 MU in H1 of FY23
• Exports from WR to NR (denoted as WR-NR) continued to be the biggest component of interregional electricity transfer – amounting to 40,271 MU and accounting for 32.5 per cent of the total volume of interregional electricity transfer. WR-SR was the next biggest component with a quantum of 20,519 MU and a share of 13.6 per cent.
• NR and SR were net importers of electricity during H1 of FY24 while the remaining three regions – WR, ER and NER – were net exporters.
• SR was a net importer to the tune of 30,492 MU in H1 of FY24 – much higher than 13,995 MU in H1 of FY23.
• WR was a net exporter in H1 of FY24, at 45,974 MU as against a much smaller 27,576 MU in H1 of FY23. Much of WR’s exports were directed to SR.
• NER maintained its “net exporter” status in H1 of FY24, albeit at a nominal level of 209 MU. In the first quarter of FY24, NER, usually a net exporter of electricity, had seen a reversal in status.
• The three busiest interregional corridors in H1 of FY24 were: Raigarh-Pugalur HVDC (WR-SR, 10,451 MU), Champa-Kurukshetra HVDC (WR-NR, 10,421 MU) and the 765kV Varanasi-Vindhyachal (WR-NR, 9,650 MU). These three lines alone accounted for a quarter of the total interregional exchange in H1 of FY24.